I&B Ministry
Allow news on private FM: international radio broadcasters association
NEW DELHI: Madrid-based Association International De RadioDifusion (AIR) and International Association of Broadcasting (IAB) have written to the Indian government exhorting green signal to news on private radio FM stations here.
In a letter dispatched today to the information and broadcasting ministry in Delhi, the international association of private radio broadcasters, including FM, has also attached supportive documents on the regulatory environment from all across the globe where hard core news is allowed on private FM radio stations.
In India, private FM radio stations are barred from carrying any news and current affairs programming, except information relating to the weather and stock market quotes.
According to AIR and IAB president Alfonso Ruiz De Assin, “I fail to understand why news is not allowed in India (on private stations) as radio is the fastest medium and extremely user-friendly tool of communication.”
Early this morning at Madrid (Spain), the general assembly of IAB, in principle, agreed to grant Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI) an active membership. IAB is the global body of private FM Radio broadcasters with more than 17,000 frequencies as members.
AROI co-coordinator and BAG Infotainment CEO Rajiv Mishra said, “We are glad to get membership of IAB and are hopeful that news will be allowed on private FM radio soon.”
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.
