I&B Ministry
Fight between broadcasters & AIDCF members to end ?
Mumbai: The continuing conflict between cable operators and broadcasters was resolved on Thursday when members of the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) reached an agreement with the broadcasters to sign interconnection agreements without prejudice.
The development was confirmed by sources, who added that the three broadcasters – Disney Star India, Zee Entertainment, and Sony TV are expected to resume their channel signals to all cable operators soon.
The interconnection agreements may be revised based on the outcome of the court case, according to the resolution reached by the two parties.
What first seemed to be a dispute about tariffs between cable operators and broadcasters developed into a conflict between two corporate media organisations, with seven MSOS switching sides.
This follows the AIDCF’s fourth consecutive day of hearing failure to obtain an interim stay from the Kerala High Court.
On 18 February , Star India, Zee Entertainment, and Sony TV cut their channels to cable operators who declined to abide by the terms of the revised new pricing order (NTO 3.0) announced by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
The NTO 3.0 came into force on February 1 and all the DTH operators and cable operators except 13 MSOS signed interconnection agreements with the broadcasters in order to ensure smooth telecast of all the channels to their subscribers.
The non-compliant MSOS moved to several high courts across the country under the aegis of the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF).
While the high courts denied any interim stay on NTO 3.0, Kerala High Court is hearing the matter on daily basis and MSOS are leaving the battlefield one by one with each passing day.
Apparently the tussle was manufactured by Reliance using its three MSOS to hurt Star India before the IPL season
Kerala Communicators Cable Ltd (KCCL) & KVBL Managing Director Sureshkumar PP further stated that Jio and DTH platforms were taking advantage of this problem and implementing new techniques to grab their precious clients in a letter sent on Wednesday to Manoj Chhangani, Secretary General, AIDCF.
With more than 3.1 million subscribers, KCCL was a significant AIDCF member who on Wednesday switched sides and signed the interconnection agreement in accordance with NTO 3.0.
As a result, Siti Cable, its JV ICNCL, UCN Cable, Thamizhaga Cable TV, Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV, and KAL Cables, who were initially non-compliant, were preceded by KCCL as the seventh MSO to comply with NTO 3.0.
Six MSOS-GTPL Hathway, Hathway Digital, Den, In Cable owned by NXT Digital of Hinduja Group, Fastway Transmissions, and Asianet Digital were left in AIDCF’s battle with broadcasters.
Reliance-owned GTPL, Hathway, Hathway Digital, and Den control 1.8 crore homes, or 75% of the homes that do not receive Star India, Zee Entertainment, and Sony channels, out of the 2.5 crore homes that these six MSOS collectively reached.
I&B Ministry
Press Sewa Portal digitises 1.5 lakh records, streamlines periodical registrations: MIB
Online system spans 780 districts; Rs 5.6 crore penalties, 88,315 titles cancelled
NEW DELHI: India’s print media registry has quietly moved from dusty files to digital dashboards. The government has digitised more than 1.5 lakh historical records of newspapers and periodicals and shifted registrations fully online through the Press Sewa Portal.
Introduced under the Press and Registration of Periodicals (PRP) Act, 2023, the portal now handles all applications for registering periodicals, replacing the earlier paper-heavy system created under the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867, which has since been repealed.
The digital shift brings a wide range of services onto a single platform. Publishers can now register new periodicals, revise registrations, transfer ownership, file annual statements, pay penalties online and apply for circulation verification without navigating government offices.
As part of the rollout, specified authorities in 780 districts across India have been onboarded onto the platform. Since 1 March 2024, the portal has processed 11,081 applications and issued certificates across different categories.
The transition has also brought stronger compliance. According to government data, Rs 5.63 crore in penalties has been collected through the portal so far. States such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh account for some of the largest penalty collections.
At the same time, the authorities have carried out a major clean-up of inactive or non-compliant publications. A total of 88,315 periodicals have been cancelled nationwide, with Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi among the states reporting the highest number of cancellations.
The government says the system will continue to evolve based on feedback from users. The Press Registrar General of India (PRGI) regularly reviews suggestions to improve services and make compliance easier for publishers.
The full list of registered newspapers and periodicals is available on the PRGI website under the Registered Titles section.
The information was shared in a written reply in the Lok Sabha by minister of state for information and broadcasting and parliamentary affairs L Murugan, responding to a question from Damodar Agrawal.
