BANGALORE: The Karnataka cable fraternity have come away disappointed after yet another attempt by them to get the Udaya Network to rethink its decision to turn pay from 1 August failed.

A delegation representing cable operators from all the districts from Karnataka today met Vijay Kumar, vice-president Udaya TV, at the network's headquarters in Bangalore in an attempt to "resolve the impasse". According to Karnataka State Cable TV Operators Association (KSOA) spokesperson Ponnacha, the cable operators proposed that Udaya News and Ushe go pay while Udaya continue as a free to air channel.

This was unacceptable to Vijay Kumar who according to Ponnacha had this to say: "You (cable operators) are willing to allow foreigners like Sony and Star to take away money from India, but when an Indian company wants money which will remain in India, you are refusing co-operation and creating problems."

"The cable operators from across the state, now present in Bangalore, will decide the next course of action shortly," Ponnacha said.

Inspite of repeated calls and a personal visit to the offices of the Sun Network by this correspondent, no response or statement was forthcoming from Vijay Kumar or any other official from Udaya/Sun.

As reported earlier, Udaya Network's market leader Udaya TV, along with Udaya News and Ushe, became dearer by Rs 18 as of 1 August. Udaya TV became encrypted from 1 August, while the other two channels were already running as encrypted feeds.