I&B Ministry
No new channels added in December 2017
BENGALURU: Since 31 October 2017, the number of licences issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has remained the same. According to an MIB status report, permitted private satellite TV channels having valid permission in India stood at 877 as on 31 December 2017. No new licences were issued in November and December 2017.
The government had issued licences to 45 channels in 2017 as compared to 75 in the previous calendar year. In all, permission has been granted to 1,099 channels. Permission was cancelled for 222 channels, with 66 in 2017 alone. 44.4 percent or 389 of the permitted channels were news and current affairs channels; 488 channels were non-news and current affairs channels.
Of the 877 channels, 778 channels were permitted to both uplink from and downlink into India. Of these, 369 or 47.4 percent were news channels and 409 were non-news channels. Sixteen channels, of which 5 (31.25 percent) were news channels and 11 were non-news that have been permitted for uplink from, but not downlink into, India. Sixty-eight channels have been permitted only to downlink into India and not to uplink from the country. Of these 68 channels, 15 (22.1 percent) were news channels.
Nine new channels (one news channel and 8 non-news channels) were allowed between 1 August and 31 August 2017. In September 2017, two licences and just one licence in October 2017 were granted.
I&B Ministry
MIB halts news TRPs for four weeks over sensational US-Iran conflict coverage
Government flags panic-mongering in television war coverage
NEW DELHI: India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting directed the Broadcast Audience Research Council India (BARC) to suspend television ratings for news channels for four weeks amid concerns over sensational coverage of the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Iran.
According to media reports, the move intends to curb excessive dramatisation in television reporting that could trigger unnecessary public anxiety.
Officials have observed that several news broadcasters are amplifying developments in the conflict in ways that may fuel panic among viewers. By temporarily halting the publication of viewership data, the ministry hopes to ease the competitive pressure on channels to chase ratings through sensational content.
The suspension will remain in effect for one month for now. During this period, television news channels will continue to broadcast as usual, but their audience measurement figures will neither be counted nor released.
Authorities will monitor both the evolving geopolitical situation and the tone of television coverage during the pause. The four-week suspension could be extended if the government believes the risk of panic-mongering or sensational reporting persists.
