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Talks held on WTO pact impact on media
NEW DELHI: The government yesterday had a preliminary round of talks with the various industry bodies on media regarding the WTO agreement.
According to government sources, yesterday’s meeting was to get the feedback from the industry bodies like CII, Ficci and Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF) on what should be the strategy that India should adopt regarding media and WTO.
Several other rounds of talks are also to be held in this regard when the final blueprint for the strategy will be drawn up, the sources said.
This is part of an initiative wherein the government has started consultation with various industry associations and companies to chalk out strategy for the WTO round of negotiations for the audio-visual sector.
The Indian audio-visual sector wants removal restrictions on local content and other such curbs imposed by different countries on the distribution of films and broadcast services. The sector also wants removal of cross border restrictions on the sector imposed by certain countries like France.
Government sources indicated that these are important as these talks and negotiations will decide the way trade in audio-visual media is done in future.
It has been pointed out by the industry that the negotiations should be carried out on the basis of the objectives underlined in the Article IV of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) which states that the increasing participation of developing country members in world trade shall be facilitated through negotiated specific commitments.
Pointing out that local content regulations become significant barriers in view of the changing trend in distribution of films, FICCI has pointed out in its recommendations that although some countries have liberalised norms, certain countries still stipulate restrictions on broadcasting activities. “EU’s broadcast directive requires that a majority of television transmission time be reserved for European origin programmes,” FICCI has pointed out, hinting that such restrictions should be removed.
“It may be noted that all signatories and members of WTO enjoy most favored nation status. However, Pakistan imposed a ban on Indian movies and channels. Similarly, Egypt has a fixed quota for Indian movies while no such quota exists for Hollywood films,” IBF has said in its representation.
According to a paper released by IBF, “Negotiations for a liberalised regime should be conducted with all countries that have a sizeable ethnic population for where there will be likely demand for Indian Channels. This would include all our immediate neighbours, including Pakistan and Nepal, South East Asian countries, including Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam, the Middle East and CIS Republics, Europe, the UK, in Africa countries like Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria, the US and Canada.”
Pointing out that some of the Indian technicians have problems working in the US because of the union regulations there, FICCI said that India should retain its present most favoured nation exemption with regard to co-production agreement in the audio-visual sector, rather than having any mutual recognition agreements with different countries.
IBF is also of the opinion that the national pubcaster Prasar Bharati should be given a special status such as budgetary support, monopoly for terrestrial broadcasting as its main objective is to preserve the nation’s culture.
The IBF release also points out that all signatories to GATT and members of WTO enjoy Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status. However, Pakistan, which is a member of WTO, has imposed ban on Indian movies and channels. Similarly, Egypt has a fixed quota for Indian films while no such quota exists for Hollywood films. India’s restriction for feature film is only based on quality as prescribed by the Film Import Policy.
“Problems that are faced by Indian channels are numerous. These include lack of proper information regarding Indians/South Asians in terms of demographics and psychographics. There is also a lack of proper rules and regulations for ethnic broadcasters. In any case laws should be at par with laws that regulate mass broadcasters,” said the release.
The meeting between the representatives of government and industry bodies is expected today.
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WITT Summit 2026 concludes in New Delhi
Babar Azam’s comical diving attempt goes viral as league introduces anti-dew measures.
MUMBAI: The WITT Summit just wrapped up with enough big ideas to fill a policy playbook because when India’s leaders, thinkers and icons gather under one roof, even the conversations hit sixes. The eighth edition of TV9 Network’s flagship What India Thinks Today (WITT) Summit 2026 concluded on Saturday after two days of dynamic discussions at its New Delhi venue. India’s largest multi-domain public policy and culture summit brought together political leaders, policymakers, sports icons, artists and technology innovators to examine the forces shaping contemporary India and its global standing.
Prime minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address on the theme “India and the World” for the third consecutive year. In a wide-ranging speech, he addressed the ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling for restraint and compassion while highlighting India’s continued development trajectory despite global turmoil.
The summit featured candid conversations with state leaders. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy articulated a people-first governance model and contrasted it with other development approaches. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that Left-wing extremism had been effectively eliminated in his state and highlighted preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government’s record, citing the closure of 19 toll plazas and creation of the Sadak Suraksha Force. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed confidence in Congress prospects in Assam and addressed recent allegations against him.
On geopolitics and national security, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlined India’s ambition to become a builder of trusted digital infrastructure for the world, citing the rapid 5G rollout and village-level 4G connectivity.
Cricket received significant attention. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised player freedom and trust as hallmarks of great leadership and named MS Dhoni as the greatest captain due to his World Cup successes. India women’s team bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi credited the BCCI and Women’s Premier League for building a pipeline of world-class talent behind the team’s recent ODI World Cup triumph.
The summit also hosted the inaugural AI² Awards 2026, celebrating the convergence of human creativity and machine intelligence in storytelling and content creation. Poet and kathavachak Kumar Vishwas delivered a nuanced take on India’s concept of Dharma and criticised the recent arrest of an 80-year-old Shankaracharya. Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan and storyteller Neelesh Misra reflected on changing music trends and artistic responsibility in the wake of a recent controversy involving Nora Fatehi.
In a country where conversations often run as deep as the Ganges, the WITT Summit proved once again that when leaders, thinkers and storytellers come together, the real winner is public discourse lively, layered and refreshingly unafraid to tackle the big questions shaping India’s tomorrow.
