Trai has sought cancellation of licence of ESPN Software India popularly known as ESPN for the latter’s alleged regulatory violations. Trai also wants the DTH operators to stop airing the channel.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Anand Sharma said all broadcasters except ESPN Software India were offering their channels at 50 per cent rates at which these were offered for non-Conditional Access System cable distribution. But ESPN did not comply to Trai’s directive dated June 24 which made it mandatory to offer feeds at 50 % rate to DTH operators as per Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable Services) 2004.

Trai wants the registration of all the three ESPN channels - Star Sports, Star Cricket and ESPN Star to be revoked.

"TRAI has also filed a complaint in the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Delhi, on August 6, 2008 under section 34 of the TRAI Act 1997. The court has also taken cognizance of the complaint filed by TRAI,” said the Minister.