I&B Ministry
26% FDI cap should apply to news aggregators too: I&B secy Amit Khare
NEW DELHI: News aggregators could be seeing some trouble in paradise. The ministry of information & broadcasting secretary Amit Khare, in a discussion at FICCI Frames 2020, said that FDI (foreign direct investment) rules should be applicable to print media as well as news aggregators.
“I would not like to announce it here; that is not my role. But there is very serious thinking that a level playing field should be there between digital platforms and print media. But the announcement will come after the decision is finally taken by the government,” Khare shared during the discussion.
“26 per cent FDI cap should be applicable to the aggregators as well as print media,” he stated.
Khare was responding to a query that questioned why regulations applied to newspapers were not applicable to news aggregators who pick up their content to sell news.
Popular apps including DailyHunt and Inshorts are among the biggest players in the Indian news aggregator space. DailyHunt has more than 100 million downloads on Google Play Store while Inshorts has over 10 million.
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati sets EPG standards for DD Free Dish platform
New specs define 7-day guide, LCN mapping, and device compatibility.
MUMBAI: Your TV guide just got a backstage pass structured, scheduled, and far more in sync. Prasar Bharati has released detailed technical specifications for Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services on DD Free Dish, laying down a standardised framework for how channels and programme information are organised and delivered. At the core of the update is a defined EPG data structure, covering genre-based categorisation, scheduling formats, and Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). The aim is simple: make navigation less guesswork and more guided experience across the platform’s over 40 million households.
The specifications also introduce a seven-day programme guide window for each channel, alongside clear rules for channel grouping and LCN mapping effectively deciding not just what you watch, but how easily you find it.
On the technical front, the document outlines requirements for Program Specific Information (PSI) and Service Information (SI), including descriptor usage across tables such as PAT, BAT and NIT. It further details service lists and network linkage parameters, giving OEMs and developers a clearer blueprint for integration.
Importantly, the framework is designed to work seamlessly with television sets equipped with in-built satellite tuners, enabling users to access DD Free Dish directly without additional hardware, an incremental but meaningful step towards simplifying access.
The platform will continue to operate on GSAT-15 transponders, using MPEG-4 compression and DVB-S2 transmission standards, ensuring continuity even as the interface evolves.
While largely technical, the move signals a broader push towards standardisation and user-friendly discovery in India’s free-to-air ecosystem because sometimes, the real upgrade isn’t what’s on screen, but how easily you get there.
