I&B Ministry
Make Film Museum interactive to ensure involvement of visitors, says Arora
New Delhi: Information & Broadcasting Secretary Sunil Arora has said every effort is being made to make the second phase of the Film Musuem in Mumbai interactive, giving visitors a very unique viewing experience.
He said, the museum should highlight the cultural and social impact of cinema on people.
The remarks came during a review meeting of the National Museum of Indian Cinema at the Films Division in Mumbai on 22 March.
The focus was on Phase II of the museum that will be housed in a state-of-the-art new building being specially built for the purpose. The progress of civil construction was reviewed and museum plans were discussed.
The museum, spread over five levels, would showcase various facets of Indian cinema from its early years to present period. It will also have interactive exhibitions on all verticals of film making covering cinematography, editing, sound, script writing, screenplay among others.
There will also be special sections on regional cinema, Hindi cinema, documentaries and Indian film music.
The new bulding housed in the Films Division complex on Pedder Road in South Mumbai, will also have two mid-size auditoriums, viewing galleries, cafeteria among others. The building is being built by the public sector National Building Construction Company. The National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata under the Culture Ministry has been tasked with setting up of the museum.
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.
