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Restrict in the name of regulation?
Updated On: 07 December, 2023 01:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Mohar Basu
Weeks after I&B Ministry floats Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill 2023, OTT players wary of proposed advisory council that will regulate content; fear curtailment of creative freedom
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The I&B Ministry had introduced the Information Technology Rules after the Tandav fiasco in 2021
In the past few years, the broadcasting industry underwent a sea change due to the advent of direct-to-home (DTH), Internet protocol television (IPTV) and most significantly, over-the-top entertainment (OTT). Consequently, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) emphasised that regulatory measures should evolve in tandem with these changes. Last month, the MIB presented the Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill 2023. By replacing the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act of 1995, it wants to bring diverse broadcasting services—including OTT and digital news platforms—under a single regulatory framework. The MIB contends that it will help establish a comprehensive legal structure for the entire broadcasting sector.
One of the important features of the bill is the proposal of establishing a Broadcast Advisory Council. This will be over and above the Content Evaluation Committee, the self-regulation committee that each platform had to put into place from 2021, as per the Information Technology Rules. The proposal has evoked paranoia in some sectors of the OTT industry. A top executive at SonyLIV, on condition of anonymity tells mid-day, “The industry had pre-empted this because self-censorship has been the internal diktat for the past two years. Every show in development goes through three rounds of Standards & Practices [legal passes]. But [if the bill goes through], the committees will only become stronger and the leash on creative hands will be tighter.”
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