I&B Ministry
Government bans four adult channels
MUMBAI: Now you see them now you don’t. The game of hide and seek that has been going on the last few years between adult channels trying to get around existing restrictions and the authorities has come to the fore again. The government has just clamped down on three erotic channels beaming off Asiasat 3 over Indian skies.
Three adult channels BlueKiss, BlueKiss Express, BlueKiss Promo and TBL have come under the government scanner in this regard.
The ban that came into effect late last week has been put in place as the government anticipates that these channels can be viewed by the Indian public after buying smart cards from abroad.
Though these channels are not freely available in India at the moment, the fact that they are being downlinked off Asiasat 3 means that anyone who accesses the smart card can get to view the content.
These channels air programming which are adult and explicit in nature, according to information and broadcasting ministry sources.
The programming of these channels breach the specified codes set by the government for channels beaming into India, irrespective of the fact whether they are uplinked from here or not.
Concerned with the possibility of increasing sleaze that could be available to India viewers through satellite channels, the Indian government had cancelled the uplinking permission for Cine World, an English movie channel, in the recent past for a month.
By and large, the Indian government has been fairly liberal as far as television channels are concerned. One of the rare cases of a clamp down related to PTV during the Kargil war, but the ban was for a limited period.
I&B Ministry
Digital radio, D2M tech set to reshape broadcasting and public messaging
Govt pushes next-gen delivery while TRAI tightens grip on spam ecosystem
NEW DELHI: India’s broadcasting and telecom landscape is undergoing a quiet but significant upgrade, with digital radio and Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) technologies emerging as powerful tools for mass communication, while regulators step up efforts to tackle spam calls.
According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, digital radio and D2M are poised to transform how content reaches audiences by making more efficient use of spectrum. In simple terms, multiple channels can now be delivered over a single frequency, opening the door to a wider range of free-to-air content.
D2M technology takes this a step further by enabling video, audio and data to be broadcast directly to mobile handsets without relying on SIM cards or mobile data. The result is a resilient and cost-effective data pipe that can deliver everything from entertainment and education to critical emergency alerts, even in low-connectivity scenarios.
At the same time, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is tightening its grip on unsolicited commercial communication, better known as spam calls. The regulator has deployed a distributed ledger technology platform to bring transparency and accountability into the system.
Through this blockchain-based setup, consumers can register their preferences on receiving promotional messages, while businesses and telemarketers must also sign up and operate within defined rules. The platform also includes a complaint mechanism that allows users to report spam, with complaints shared across telecom operators for coordinated action.
The government’s broader push is being supported by infrastructure upgrades under the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development scheme. Implemented through Prasar Bharati, the initiative focuses on modernising networks such as Akashvani and Doordarshan, including digitisation and adoption of next-generation broadcast equipment.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting minister of state for information and broadcasting L. Murugan said these steps are part of a larger effort to promote emerging technologies and strengthen the country’s broadcasting backbone. The response came to a query raised by member of Parliament Rao Rajendra Singh.
Together, these developments point to a dual-track strategy: expanding access to reliable, low-cost content while cleaning up the communication ecosystem. As digital pipes get smarter and spam filters sharper, India’s airwaves may soon feel a lot less noisy and far more useful.
