I&B Ministry
Day 12: Phase III FM bids slow down with moderate increase in winning price
NEW DELHI: The twelfth day of the e-auction for the first batch of FM Phase III cities continued to slow down even though the cumulative provisional winning price rose marginally to touch Rs 987 crore against the aggregate reserve price of about Rs 425 crore at the end of 48 rounds.
A total of 86 channels in 56 cities – dropping by one channel compared to yesterday – became provisionally winning channels with cumulative provisional winning price. Thus the summation of provisional winning prices surpassed the cumulative reserve price of the 86 channels by Rs 562.19 crore or 132.3 per cent.
Overall, cumulative provisional winning price exceeded the total reserve price of the first batch of 135 FM channels in 69 existing cities – Rs 550.18 crore – by Rs 436.89 crore or 79.4 per cent.
The Auction Activity Requirement remained for the second day at 90 per cent, raised after the 37th round on 7 August.
The thirteen cities for which bids have still not come are Asansol, Gulbarga, Mangalore, Mysore, Puducherry, Rajahmundry, Siliguri, Tiruchy, Tirunveli, Tirupati, Tuticorin, Vijaywada and Warangal.
The demand over the price in most cities fell by up to three per cent and four per cent below the excess demand at the price in 48th round in Hyderabad.
The Percentage Price Increment (in INR) applicable for the Next Clock Round rose to five per cent in Aurangabad and Kolhapur but was just one per cent in Amritsar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Hisar, Jaipur, Mumbai, Nasik and Pune.
The highest Provisional winning price – the same as the Clock round price at the start of the twenty-eighth round – was in Delhi – Rs 156.22 crore (for just one channel), followed by Mumbai – Rs 97 crore, both showing marginal increase compared to yesterday.
Among cities recording more than Rs 10 crore, it rose sizeably in Chennai at Rs 46.03 crore and Pune at Rs 38.05 crore and marginally in Jaipur at Rs 26.70 crore, Chandigarh at Rs 17.94 crore, Cochin at Rs 11.86 crore and Nasik at Rs 10.30 crore.
Thus Mumbai remains the only city, which may soon cross the Rs 100 crore figure.
Bengaluru at Rs 106.04 crore; Ahmedabad at Rs 42.68 crore, Hyderabad at Rs 18 crore, Patna at Rs 17.89 crore and Lucknow at Rs 14 crore remained static.
I&B Ministry
CBFC speeds up film certification; average approval time cut to 22 days
Over 71,900 films cleared in five years as digital system shortens approval timelines
MUMBAI:Â The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has significantly reduced the time taken to certify films, with the average approval timeline now down to 22 working days for feature films and just three days for short films.
Operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the statutory body certifies films for public exhibition in line with the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024. The rules prescribe a maximum certification period of 48 working days, though the adoption of the Online Certification System has sharply accelerated the process.
Over the past five years, from 2020-21 to 2024-25, the board certified a total of 71,963 films across formats. Of these, the majority fell under the U category with 41,817 titles, followed by UA with 28,268 films and A with 1,878 films. No films were certified under the S category during the period.
Film approvals have also steadily risen in recent years. The CBFC cleared 8,299 films in 2020-21, a figure that peaked at 18,070 in 2022-23 before settling at 15,444 films in 2024-25. During the same period, 11,064 films were certified with cuts or modifications.
Despite the high volume of certifications, outright refusals remain rare. Only three films were denied certification over the last five years, with one refusal recorded in 2022-23 and two in 2024-25.
The board may recommend cuts or modifications if a film violates statutory parameters relating to the sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality, defamation, contempt of court or incitement to an offence.
Filmmakers can challenge CBFC decisions in court. Data shows that such disputes remain limited but have seen some fluctuation. Between 2021 and 2025, a total of 21 certification decisions were challenged before High Courts, with the number rising to 10 cases in 2025.
Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, minister of state for information and broadcasting L. Murugan shared the data. The question was raised by Mallikarjun Kharge.
With faster timelines and a largely digital workflow, the certification process appears to be moving at a far brisker pace, signalling a shift towards quicker clearances for India’s growing film output.
