Direct-to-home (DTH) TV subscribers on yearly plans have started receiving text messages to choose their packs or channels with just a week left for the March 31 deadline set by the national telecom regulator to transit to the new payment regime.

The subscribers who will not register their choice will be automatically allotted a package with a rental closest to the one they now pay, representatives of DTH players said.

In the new system, subscribers are to choose the channels they want to watch and only pay for them.

Cable homes serviced by the multi-service operators were the first to be moved to the new regime, the process having been started early last month. The switch for the DTH subscribers started earlier this month with consumers on monthly subscriptions receiving messages to choose channels afresh.

DTH subscribers on yearly plans started receiving such messages two days ago. Industry insiders said this was the last group of TV viewers being moved to the new payment regime.

The initial deadline for the transition was December 28. It was deferred to January 31, 2019, and again to March 31 because of non-compliance.

“According to the new Trai (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) tariff order, in the next few days, you will be automatically migrated to the best fit plan which has your current key channels,” read a text message that is being sent to DTH subscriber on a yearly plan.