News & Media

The All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF), the apex body of digital cable television operators, announced the appointment of Mr. Anirudhsinh Jadeja, Managing Director, GTPL Hathway Limited, as its new President. Mr. Jadeja succeeds Mr. S.N. Sharma, CEO of DEN Networks Limited whose tenure came to an end. In the same election, Mr. Sankaranarayana, Vice Chairman of Asianet Satellite Communications Limited was elected as Vice President of AIDCF and Mr. Sanjay Goyal, Group CFO of Fastway Transmissions Private Limited was elected as Treasurer of AIDCF.

The All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF), in collaboration with EY India, today launched a landmark report titled "State of Cable TV Distribution in India". The report was officially unveiled by Mr. Sanjiv Shankar, Former Joint Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. This pioneering study offers critical insights into the challenges, evolution, and future of India’s cable television ecosystem. Drawing from extensive field data—based on responses from over 28,000 Local Cable Operators (LCOs)—the report presents a comprehensive view of the current crisis and calls for urgent reforms. Key Findings: • LCO workforce declined by 31% since 2018 — a loss of 37,835 jobs. Nationally extrapolated, job losses are estimated between 1.14 to 1.95 lakh. • With nearly 900 MSOs and 72,000 LCOs shutting down in the past six years, cumulative job losses exceed 5.77 lakh. • Pay TV homes dropped by 40 million, falling from 151 million (2018) to 111 million (2024). • 93% of LCOs reported a decline in subscribers; 49% saw a drop in income; 35% reported subscriber losses over 40%. Key Recommendations: • Establish a level playing field across all content distribution platforms • Enable territory-based differential pricing for Pay TV • Reactivate 20 million inactive STBs • Restrict free or delayed retransmission of Pay TV content on other platforms • Form a unified front against content piracy This report is a wake-up call for all stakeholders. With the right reforms, India’s cable TV sector can be revitalized—protecting jobs, ensuring fair competition, and strengthening digital infrastructure.

Local cable operators (LCOs) have seen a 31% drop in employment from 120,557 in 2018 to 82,722 in 2024, according to a survey conducted in collaboration with the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF). As per the survey of 28,181 LCOs across India, the subscriber base of 9,863 LCOs fell more than 40% between 2018 and 2024, while 2,536 saw a decline of 20% to 40% due to a shift of consumers from pay TV to services like over-the-top (OTT) platforms, Prasar Bharti's DD Free Dish, and Connected TV.

The issue of bundled channel packages has been a persistent point of contention for years, with broadcasters and Distribution Platform Operators (DPOs) continuing to clash over how these packages are structured. Despite ongoing debates, no clear resolution has emerged, as both sides remain firm in their positions. Cable operators have once again approached the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) seeking intervention. The core of the dispute lies in the [belief that consumers are being forced to subscribe to pre-made bundles that often include channels they have little interest in, all in the name of discounted prices. They argue that if broadcasters have the right to create bouquets, DPOs should have the flexibility to break them apart and offer more customized, consumer-friendly options.

The All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) has urged Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to expedite release of the draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023. The ministry had submitted its Action Taken Report to the Parliamentary Standing Committee, stating that the process would take some time and that the committee would be kept updated on its progress. On March 11, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) emphasized the urgent need to create a level playing field for all broadcasting services and address challenges related to satellite-based technologies, which continue to be governed by outdated legislation.

The All India Digital Cable Foundation (AIDCF) is strongly opposing Free Ad-supported Streaming Television (FAST), alleging that it blurs the lines between traditional broadcasting and internet-based streaming. The cable operators' association has also written to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), urging it to direct these OTT platforms to restrict the transmission of live channels. AIDCF states that various OTT services—including Zee5, SunNXT, MX Player, Yupp TV, Samsung TV Plus, Vodafone Play, Tata Play, Distro TV, Patchwall+ (Xiaomi), and LG WebOS—are offering live channels to consumers, often appearing to operate outside the scope of the existing Uplinking/Downlinking guidelines issued on November 9, 2022, and its subsequent amendment on March 24, 2023, as well as the IPTV Regulation dated September 14, 2023.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has said that free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel services are TV channel distribution services. It also mentions that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) may issue a reference to provide conditions for service authorisation for FAST, emphasising that these services need to be brought into an authorisation framework. This comes as a part of TRAI’s recommendations on authorisation of broadcasting services under the Telecommunication Act, 2023. TRAI mentions that FAST channels are a new development and do not currently have a definition. The broadcasting industry considers it a form of streaming that delivers content similar to satellite, cable, or traditional TV. In simple terms, think of the TV channels that are a part of platforms like Airtel Xtreme, Tata Play or other such platforms. However, it is not limited to live TV and also includes free on-demand content that users can view on any device.

The ‘Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of satellite TV channels in India, 2022’ issued by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), containing the terms and conditions for TV broadcasting services, make it mandatory for the broadcasters to use satellite medium for providing their channels to the distribution platform operators (DPOs). The advancement of technology has made it feasible for the broadcasters to provide their television channels to DPOs terrestrially also i.e. using terrestrial communication technologies like wireline (e.g. cable/fibre, etc.) or wireless (e.g. cellular/microwave/Wi-Fi, etc.)/internet/cloud.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has written to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw seeking regulatory measures to check obscene content available on various Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms and social media streaming sites, an official said on Monday. In her letter, NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said obscene content can be easily accessed by people of all age groups that has increased the possibility of negative impact on society, particularly on women and children, NewKerala.com reported.

The government has directed cable operators of the country to carry on a mandatory basis additional TV channels as part of certain compliances under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. In an advisory to the cable operators, including MSOs, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that the additional TV channels to be carried are DD Assam (General Entertainment Regional), DD Odia (General Entertainment Regional), Sansad TV-1 HD (News and Current Affairs, Lok Sabha), Sansad TV-1 (News and Current Affairs Lok Sabha), Sansad TV-2 HD (News and Current Affairs Rajya Sabha) and Sansad TV-2 (News and Current Affairs Rajya Sabha).