News Broadcasting
Delhi HC stays TDSAT order asking broadcasters to provide OTT content information
Mumbai: The Delhi High Court has stayed Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) order and the proceedings until the next date of hearing. TDSAT issued an order last week requiring broadcasters to provide information on content available on over-the-top (OTT) platforms.
In past legal processes, Trai has publicly indicated that it does not regulate OTT platforms or the content that is associated with them.
“Prima facie, the court finds itself unable to sustain the order of 20 September by TDSAT,” said the order dated 28 September by Delhi HC.
According to the High Court, the TDSAT was not authorised to make the ‘contested decision’ while the main dispute over whether it had the authority to issue the ‘contested direction’ was still being resolved.
A source informes Indiantelevision.com that the court judge made oral remarks saying “what kind of order is this? Later he also said (in a lighter vein) there seem to be lofty principles in the order.”
Broadcasters are allegedly breaking Clause 5.6 of the TV channel uplinking and downlinking guidelines by providing linear channel signals to OTT services, claimed Trai.
This clause requires broadcasters to make satellite TV signals available to registered cable operators, multi-system operators, direct-to-home players, and internet protocol TV service providers.
As the clause reads, “The applicant company shall provide satellite TV channel signal reception decoders only to MSOs/cable operators registered under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 or to a DTH operator registered under the DTH guidelines issued by the government of India or to an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service provider duly permitted under their existing telecom licence or authorised by the department of telecommunications or to a HITS operator duly permitted under the policy guidelines for HITS operators issued by the ministry of information and broadcasting to provide such service.”
While OTT services are exempt from Trai oversight, broadcasters contend that Clause 5.6 has not been violated. They claim that both platforms controlled by broadcast networks and those owned by independent players are covered by this.
Broadcasters including Sony, Star, and Sun TV had approached TDSAT to challenge Trai’s directive. The networks, on the other hand, had received no relief from the appellate tribunal, with TDSAT ordering them to provide the information to Trai within a week.
The Court also questioned Trai’s authority to control OTT and make the requests for information that they did. In past legal proceedings, Trai has publicly indicated that it does not regulate OTT platforms or the content that is associated with them.
When Trai requested certain broadcasters (such as Star India, Sony, and Sun TV) to submit detailed information on the content of TV channels that were available on OTT, the problem began.
Dissatisfied broadcasters challenged Trai’s decision, which ordered the disclosure of information and architecture in TDSAT, among other things, by questioning Trai’s authority to request such information.
Notably, the broadcasters asserted that Trai has always maintained in court proceedings that it does not regulate over-the-top (OTT) content.
The TDSAT had previously provided broadcasters with ad-interim protection against Trai coercion. However, it later directed broadcasters to provide information, which resulted in the current petition before the Delhi High Court.
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
