Dhiraagu has announced its decision to discontinue its DhiraaguTV and DhiraaguPlay services.
Further to the announcement issued regarding DhiraaguTV service in October, Dhiraagu has announced that Dhiraagu’s Rebroadcasting License will expire on 29 January 2023. Their application to renew the license was rejected by the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) based on the amendments to the Rebroadcasting Regulation (R-1/2022) made in January 2022 which introduced a provision prohibiting companies with foreign shareholders from providing rebroadcasting services in the Maldives.
Throughout the year, Dhiraagu has assertively engaged with all relevant authorities to try and resolve the matter and continue offering the DhiraaguTV and DhiraaguPlay service in a fair and sustainable regulatory environment. According to the company, the uncertainty around the license has also resulted in Dhiraagu not being able to grow the business as it had planned and lead to losses.
Having regard to the present regulatory challenges, in the best interests of the company and its shareholders, the Dhiraagu Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to discontinue the DhiraaguTV and DhiraaguPlay services and mitigate any further loss. As per the Regulation, the company is required to give a 30-day notice before it can discontinue the service. Therefore, 29 January 2023 will be the last day of the DhiraaguTV and DhiraaguPlay service. The company stated that it is with great sadness that they had to come to this decision and expressed their sincere apologies for the inconvenience that this may cause all the customers.
Dhiraagu’s priority has been to try to find a solution which will not deprive DhiraaguTV customers of having choices and options for a consistently good quality IPTV service, irrespective of where they may reside. The company have been in discussion with a number of parties who approached them expressing their interest to provide rebroadcasting services. As a result, they have agreed to provide their IPTV/OTT network as a service to a newly licensed rebroadcaster, SS Network Pvt Ltd. Dhiraagu has planned for their customers to conveniently opt-in for the new rebroadcaster’s service. Further details will be communicated to all DhiraaguTV and DhiraaguPlay customers in the coming weeks.
During the past seven years, Dhiraagu has invested in over 100 premium channels and made the service available to over 85% of national households, covering 95 islands. Dhiraagu thanked all their customers for their trust and support which has contributed significantly to the success of DhiraaguTV.
