I&B Ministry
Guild seeks tax sops, to submit pre-Budget memorandum to I&B ministry
NEW DELHI: The film industry wants abolition of customs/excise duty, countervailing duty on import of broadcasting/post-production and animation equipment, set-top boxes (STBs) and removal of octroi on raw stock and exemption of service tax on duplication of prints to be removed on export sales.
The Film and Television Producers Guild of India is meeting information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi shortly to submit the Pre-Budget Memorandum highlighting issues concerning the entertainment industry.
The demands will include an increase in proportion of foreign direct investment in media from 26 per cent to 74 per cent for Direct to Home (DTH).
Subsidies and incentives will be sought for boosting export of animation content being driven out of India on the lines of tax benefits provided by Canadian Government for creating local animation content.
There is also a demand for creation of Special Export Zones (SEZs) for the entertainment media to facilitate promotion of Indian exports content, and widening the definition of industrial undertaking under Section 72A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 to include electronic media (TV broadcasting).
Another demand is for reduction of the base for fringe benefit tax from 20 per cent to 5 per cent for the broadcasting industry, as in the case of computer software industry and exemption for broadcasting industry from service tax as in the case of print media.
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.
