I&B Ministry
I&B slots MSOs & broadcasters’ open house meet on 20th of each month
MUMBAI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) is taking all steps possible to ensure that the sector prospers and any issue, which hampers the growth is addressed well in time.
The Ministry, over the past several months, has taken active measures to ensure that the various stakeholders of the ecosystem meet from time to time. The meeting is aimed at becoming a forum for the stakeholders to voice their concerns and come up with solutions.
In its latest notice, the Ministry has informed both the broadcasters and MSOs, that the open house meetings, which were earlier held on the 5th of every month, will now take place on the 20th of every month. In case, of the day being a holiday, the meeting will be held on the next day.
The meeting will be held from 11 am to 12 pm, in two different rooms of Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi involving broadcasters and MSOs.
The notice clearly states that only regular employees of the company, well versed with the issue, would be allowed to participate in the open house meeting. “Therefore, the participant shall have to bring authorisation letter from the top executive of the company in his/her name to participate in the open house meeting, along with photo identity card issued by the employer company,” reads the notice.
Companies, which desire to participate in the open house have been asked to send the request of participation detailing out the issues to be discussed latest by 10th of the month to director (BC) through email at dirbc-moib@nic.in
However, for the meeting scheduled on 20 April, issues to be discussed may be sent latest by 13 April.
I&B Ministry
AIDCF moves TDSAT over Waves plan to stream linear TV channels
Industry body flags regulatory gap as OTT push sparks broadcast turf war
NEW DELHI: The battle between traditional television distributors and digital platforms has found its way to the courts, with the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) moving the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against Prasar Bharati’s latest OTT play.
At the heart of the dispute is Waves, Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform, which has invited applications to onboard linear satellite TV channels. Aidcf, which represents multi-system operators (msos), argues that this move sidesteps existing broadcasting rules and risks tilting the playing field in favour of digital platforms.
The federation’s petition hinges on a key provision in the Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines, 2022. Clause 11(3)(f) allows broadcasters to downlink channels only if they provide signal decoders to recognised distribution platforms such as MSOS, DTH operators, hits operators and iptv platforms. OTT platforms, aidcf points out, do not feature on that list.
In simple terms, AIDCF’s argument is this: if OTT platforms are not officially recognised distributors, they should not be receiving broadcast signals in the first place. By inviting channels onto Waves, the federation claims, Prasar Bharati is opening a backdoor that lets broadcasters bypass long-standing rules.
The concern goes beyond legal interpretation. Aidcf says OTT platforms currently operate without a clear regulatory framework, allowing them to expand into traditional broadcasting territory without the compliance burden that cable and satellite operators must carry. That, it argues, creates an uneven contest.
There is also a warning for broadcasters. If they provide signal decoders to an OTT platform like Waves, they could risk breaching the very conditions under which their downlinking permissions were granted.
For its part, Prasar Bharati’s Waves initiative is positioned as a step towards wider access and digital reach, bringing linear television into the streaming era. But critics say the move blurs the line between regulated broadcasting and largely unregulated streaming.
The matter is expected to come up before tdsat next week. The outcome could do more than settle a single dispute. It may help define how India regulates the fast-merging worlds of television and OTT, where the lines are getting fuzzier by the day and the stakes, sharper than ever.
