I&B Ministry
MIB reverts to earlier norms of seeking nod from ISRO on uplink/downlink of TV channels
NEW DELHI: At a time when one arm of the government is said to be exploring review of usage norms for satellite frequencies for users of satellite services, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has cancelled an earlier order — which simplified clearances for uplinking and downlinking of TV channels on permitted teleports and satellites — and reverted to an older tradition of also getting an okay from Department of Space (DOS), which could make the process lengthy.
In a recent official communiqué, MIB stated DOS observed that by not referring TV channels’ applications relating to uplink/downlink to it, certain “key aspects” provided by the applicant were “not getting examined” and which could “create interference issues and difficulties in coordination with Indian satellites” at a later stage.
Pointing out that a policy decision taken earlier by it has been reviewed
in the light of DOS observations, MIB added, “It has been decided to revert to the erstwhile practice of referring all applications, seeking uplinking permission/change of teleport and/or satellite in respect of TV channels, to DOS for its no-objection with reference to proposed satellite’s coordination with Indian satellites.”
A prior nod from DOS for uplink/downlink of TV channels on teleports and satellites, already permitted by MIB, was considered “duplication” of the clearance process and, thus, done away with by MIB in February 2017 as part of PM Modi-led government’s bid to ease norms of doing business in India. DOS, managed directly by the Prime Minister’s Office, oversees activities of Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO), an organization responsible for Indian satellites.
MIB, while withdrawing its early-2017 order, said its decision comes into effect immediately.
Interestingly, according to government sources, Wireless, Planning and Co-ordination (WPC) division, under Ministry of Telecoms, is exploring a review of clearance norms for users of satellite services in India and also optimizing value of satellite frequencies.
At present, for a customer of satellite services, whether on Indian or foreign satellite, getting clearance for satellite capacity is a lengthy and time consuming process involving green signal from multiple government organizations, including DOS/ISRO and WPC.
Telecoms and broadcast regulator TRAI has suggested a couple of times, in lengthy set of recommendations, that with an explosion in communications services, it was time India ought to explore an Open Sky Policy relating to satellite services; especially in KU-band category.
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I&B Ministry
India turns up the heat on piracy, orders Telegram to axe 3,142 channels and blocks 800 websites
New legal teeth, nodal officers and notices to intermediaries signal that the government is done playing nice with copyright thieves
NEW DELHI: India’s war on film piracy just got significantly more aggressive. The government has ordered Telegram to remove 3,142 channels distributing pirated content, blocked access to around 800 websites through internet service providers, and put the full weight of freshly sharpened legislation behind the crackdown. The message from New Delhi is unambiguous: the free ride for copyright thieves is over.
Minister of state for information and broadcasting L. Murugan spelled out the legal architecture to the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023, he said, now contains specific provisions designed to make piracy a genuinely painful proposition. Sections 6AA and 6AB prohibit unauthorised recording and transmission of films, with violations attracting a minimum of three months’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 3 lakh. At the upper end, offenders face three years behind bars and fines of up to 5 per cent of a film’s audited gross production cost — a figure that, for a big-budget production, could run into crores.
The legislation also gives the government powers to act against intermediaries hosting infringing content, by notifying them under Section 79(3) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and compelling takedowns and blocking actions. Under Section 79(3)(b), intermediaries are legally required to remove or disable access to unlawful content upon receiving government notice or court orders. The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, add a further layer of obligation, requiring platforms to ensure their services are not used to host or distribute content that violates copyright or proprietary rights.
To put enforcement into practice, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has established a dedicated institutional mechanism, complete with nodal officers to receive complaints. Copyright holders, authorised representatives or individuals can report piracy through a prescribed format, after which the government issues notices to intermediaries to disable access to infringing links.
The most headline-grabbing action came on 11 March 2026, when Telegram was formally notified under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act and directed to remove and disable 3,142 channels found to be distributing unauthorised content belonging to OTT platforms, content owners and producers. The complaints that triggered the action came from OTT platforms including JioCinema and Amazon Prime Video, which alleged that copyrighted films, web series and other material were being shared on the platform on a massive scale. Telegram’s architecture, with its large file-sharing limits and capacity for user anonymity, has made it a favoured vehicle for exactly this kind of large-scale piracy.
The Telegram action sits within a broader pattern of escalating enforcement. Just days before the Lok Sabha statement, the ministry banned five OTT platforms for streaming obscene content: MoodXVIP, Koyal Playpro, Digi Movieplex, Feel and Jugnu. In July 2025, the Centre ordered the blocking of 25 OTT platforms accused of streaming obscene, vulgar or pornographic material, a list that included ALTT, ULLU, Big Shots App, Desiflix, Boomex, Navarasa Lite, Gulab App, Kangan App, Bull App, Jalva App, ShowHit, Wow Entertainment, Look Entertainment, Hitprime, Feneo, ShowX, Sol Talkies, Adda TV, HotX VIP, Hulchul App, MoodX, NeonX VIP, Fugi, Mojflix and Triflicks.
Rule 3(1)(b) of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, provides the regulatory hook for those actions, prohibiting platforms from hosting content that is obscene, pornographic, invasive of privacy, gender-harassing, racially or ethnically objectionable, or that promotes hatred and violence.
For an industry that loses billions of rupees annually to piracy, the direction of travel is welcome. The question, as always, is not whether the laws exist, but whether the enforcement machinery can keep pace with the ingenuity of those determined to circumvent it. Three thousand channels down, and the pirates are already busy opening three thousand more.
