One more channel readies to take the pay mode plunge. The difference this time being that it will be the first pay channel to be offered as an independent offering and not part of any bouquet.

B4U Movies begins a dual illumination feed from 15 July, with plans to be fully encrypted by 31 July. "All the technical parameters are in place. But keeping in mind last minute hold-ups, it still may take till end-August for the full rollout, B4U Worldwide CEO Ravi Gupta said. B4U is using the Smart-card from Nagravision as the encryption module. 

Queried as to the subscription price, Gupta said it would be Rs 8.90 per month. B4U is offering 15 per cent discount on its subscription rate to cable operators making advance payments or quarterly payments.

Where B4U Music will be different from the others is that it will be the only pay channel that is not offered as part of a bouquet. When it was put to Gupta that this would likely prove disadvantageous, he had this to say: "Yes, but that's a short term way of looking at it. The reason to go it alone is because of the price sensitivity of the market. We believe that especially in the non-metro markets there are operators for whom single channel option like B4U are worth going for."

"I do not want to tie up with anyone at the present juncture. I want to keep my options open. I prefer to wait for a time where I am able to offer my channel non-exclusively to all the bouquets. And we will be constantly tracking developments. Being independent allows us the freedom to take a call on it when we feel it is advantageous for us," Gupta said. 

Whether Gupta is correct in his reasoning will be known soon enough anyway.