I&B Ministry
After I&B notice to channels over 2 ‘liquor ads’, more to follow
The I&B Ministry, which sent showcause notices to four television channels for carrying surrogate advertisements for two liquor brands, is set to “get serious” on a number of other ads.
Notices were sent to Zee, Aaj Tak, Sony and Star, that two advertisements, McDowell’s Mera Number One and Gilby’s Green Label were clear instances of surrogate advertisements. While Zee and Star replied saying they’d taken off the ads, Aaj Tak and Sony will be doing so shortly, ministry officials said.
Four more have drawn the attention of the ministry for which notices are likely to be sent, ministry officials say. The brands under scrutiny are Charms (cigarettes), Smirnoff (vodka), Haywards and Kingfisher (both beer).
The ministry has set up a panel under additional secretary Anil Baijal to look into the matter. The committee can take cognisance suo motu or look into specific complaints that could be construed as violation of the Advertisement Code. The next meeting of the committee is 16 July.
According to ministry officials, Rs 3000 million was what used to be pumped in annually into various TV channels predominantly by liquor companies. Due to the various initiatives taken by the government, this has reduced by 15 to 20 per cent they say.
The government however, is not looking only at cigarette and liquor ads. Once this issue has been dealt with, the government will be looking at other ads as well, the officials say.
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.
