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Government, industry discuss broadcast regulator
MUMBAI: Following up on a suggestion made on Wednesday by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), industry and government officials today discussed the setting up of an independent broadcast regulator.
The mandate of the independent broadcast regulator on issues like technology and pricing and its role in the administration of the conditional access system was reportedly discussed at the meeting.
According to sources who were present, SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta, speaking on behalf of pay broadcasters, came out strongly against the regulator overseeing pricing of pay channels. Dasgupta reiterated the consistent stand taken by pay broadcasters on the issue that pricing should be left to market forces to determine.
The meeting, held in Mumbai and chaired by I&B secretary Pawan Chopra, was also attended by, among others, additional vice chairman Zee Telefilms and head of Siti Cable Jawahar Goel, Hinduja Group cable arm INCableNet’s Ashok Mansukhani, the Delhi-based Roop Sharma (representing independent cable operators) and the Consumer Guidance Society of India’s Anand Patwardhan.
The meeting was called by Ficci in association with law firm Amarchand Mangaldas. Today’s meeting comes a day ahead of the first meeting of the government-constituted CAS implementation panel, which will also be held here.
Ficci general secretary Amit Mitra had said in a statement on Wednesday that India could consider three regulatory models – the one that Australia has, another that the US has adopted, and the third one that prevails in Hong Kong, Thailand and New Zealand.
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Ficci moots regulator for CAS; suggests three models
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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.
