News & Media

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broadcasting services and address challenges related to satellite-based technologies, which continue to be governed by outdated legislation.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 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.

With the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) tariff regulations coming into effect, select pay TV channels have confirmed leaving DD Free Dish, Storyboard18 has learnt. According to TRAI regulation, a pay TV channel must convert to free-to-air (FTA) if it is on a free TV platform such as DD Free Dish. This is a requirement of TRAI’s new tariff regulation, which was upheld by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) in December 2024.

The cable industry has called on the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to enforce ad-free programming on pay TV channels, arguing that subscribers are subjected to advertisements for 2596-35% of viewing time despite paying for the service. According to sources in the industry, in this background, pay TV subscribers in India shell out, on average, as much as ^19 per month per channel (plus taxes) for most of the popular channels. Yet, their viewing experience is inundated with excessive advertisements.

The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has refused to grant a stay to broadcasters challenging the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) tariff regulation related to pay channels on DD Free Dish, according to media reports. With the refusal, the tribunal has given the tribunal has given two weeks to the broadcasters to file a new Reference Interconnect Offer (RIO). The order in this regard was passed by a TDSAT bench, comprising Chairperson Justice D. N. Patel and member Subodh Kumar Gupta. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February 6, 2025.

Regulating over-the-top (OTT) platforms comes under the purview of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia said, adding that one of the six advisory groups that he had established, had flagged the issue, highlighting concerns from the perspective of telecom service providers (TSPs).

The Indian broadcasting industry has long been a cornerstone of the nation’s media landscape, evolving significantly from its humble beginnings with Doordarshan in 1959. Over the decades, the sector witnessed seismic shifts—first, the liberalisation wave of the 1990s, which introduced private broadcast and cable networks, followed by the DTH revolution in the early 2000s. Most recently, the meteoric rise of Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms is rapidly transforming how content is consumed. However, this rapid growth has exposed glaring regulatory gaps, creating an uneven playing field between traditional TV distribution and OTT services.

The cable industry has raised alarms over the delay in implementing TRAI's recommendations on encrypting private channels on DD Free Dish, warning of "no tangible progress" despite the July 2024 directive. The All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) has urged the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to address unauthorized retransmissions and ensure regulatory parity between public and private DTH operators, warning that the current exemptions for DD Free Dish are creating market imbalances and revenue losses.