Four lakh cable homes missed Novak Djokovic's shock exit from Wimbledon as STAR India channels went off service provider Manthan's menu because of a payment dispute in which subscribers are again the affected party without having anything to do with it.

The STAR bouquet, containing everything from sports and mainstream entertainment to regional and niche channels, was plucked out on Friday evening and Manthan couldn't say for sure when they would be back.

For the subscribers - Manthan has a 13 per cent market share in Calcutta - it means missing out not only on Wimbledon but also their daily fix of movies, soaps and big shows such as MasterChef Australia Season 8.

"My favourite player was on his way to a calendar slam and his loss to Sam Querry was a big deal. To be denied the chance to see that match despite being at home on a Saturday was extremely frustrating," said Djokovic fan Ayon Hazra, a 34-year-old IT professional residing in Baguiati.

ZEE Entertainment channels had been yanked off the beam of another multi-system operator, GTPL-KCBPL, for a month and a half until July 1. Just when that dispute was resolved and the channels came back, it was the turn of Manthan subscribers to suffer.

Any subscriber who demands an answer from his or her local cable operator for channels going off air invariably gets a vague response. The absence of centralised customer care makes it worse.

A Manthan franchisee on the southern fringe of the city said he had little idea when the STAR payment dispute would end, although he has been telling subscribers that the channels would be back in a couple of days. "They (Manthan) haven't told us yet how serious the problem is, except that it would be resolved soon. But I have to say something when scores of subscribers call to ask why they can't see the channels. I just tell them that the channels will be back in one or two days," the cable operator said.

Officials of STAR India declined to comment on the dispute that has left TV screens blank in Manthan homes.

Till the channels are back, sports fans on the Manthan beam will miss the Pro Kabaddi League Season 4 and the Sri Lankan cricket team's tour of England, among other events. Apart from the STAR Sports channels, Manthan viewers are being denied STAR Movies, STAR World, STAR Plus, STAR Gold, STAR Jalsha and their HD variants.

In India, monthly rentals are paid in advance like any prepaid service and guidelines of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India make it mandatory for cable operators to refund subscribers if channels are withdrawn from their set-top box. But this is never followed.

According to industry insiders, MSOs don't make payments for a particular month to the broadcaster if their channels are off air, but they still collect the money from subscribers through the local cable operators, making huge profits in the bargain.

"Some MSOs let the broadcaster's dues accumulate. After a while, when the broadcaster snaps the channels, negotiations start between the two parties. But till the dispute ends, the MSO isn't perturbed because it is making a profit anyway," said Mrinal Chatterjee, who has been in the city's cable industry since its inception in the early Nineties.

Have you been affected by the STAR blackout? Tell ttmetro@abpmail.com