I&B Ministry
I&B asks stakeholders to arrive at consensus on difficult issues for successful digitisation
NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) additional secretary J S Mathur, who heads the Task Force for Phase III and IV of Digital Addressable Systems (DAS) for cable television has urged all stakeholders to come together and resolve issues, if targets have to be met.
Noting in the sixth meeting held on 13 March that only seven out of 100 multi-system operators (MSOs) had given the seeding plans for Phase Ill areas.
The data provided by them indicated that about 3.1 million set top boxes had been seeded by them with about 550,000 STBs in their stock and about 2.35 million STBs under orders of purchase. He remarked that the seeding so far was very low vis-a-vis the target.
He said, “Each day counts towards progress in digitisation.” He also said that progress would be slow without public awareness campaign by the stakeholders.
He said there was lack of mutual connect between broadcasters and MSOs with each stakeholder wanting to maximize self interests. There was need for coming to a consensus.
He added that the data on subscription revenue and carriage fee from the Indian Broadcasting Foundation and News Broadcasters Association was still awaited, despite assurances.
He emphasised that broadcasters have to contribute by mounting awareness campaign on their channels as was done by them during Phase I and Phase II and the MSOs have to contribute in this campaign. He said broadcasters should start a dialogue with MSOs immediately.
He welcomed the initiative taken by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to hold a meeting with broadcasters and MSOs to resolve the issue of interconnect agreements.
However, the stakeholders should themselves get their act together and put in their utmost effort to ensure that such issues do not come in the way of achieving the goal of digitisation.
He said that as pointed out by some members of the Task Force, digitisation has begun to benefit all stakeholders. Activity on the ground needs to be accomplished from now itself as it is not a matter that can be put in place overnight.
Representative of MSOs said there were issues of content costing, due to which they were finding it difficult to plan digitisation in new areas. Seeding plans can be firmed up by MSOs only after knowing content cost. Till then, the MSOs can only give their seeding projections instead of seeding plans.
They also stressed that revenue from Phase Ill and Phase IV areas is about 20 to 30 per cent of the total revenue from the country. So content cost in Phase Ill and Phase IV areas cannot be same as that in Phase I and Phase II areas and this has to be taken into account by all stakeholders.
MSOs also complained that broadcasters were not entering into interconnect agreements with the MSOs for Phase Ill areas.
Unless the input cost is known, MSOs cannot educate the consumers about the rates and there are issues of local taxation levied by some State Governments apart from local cable operators switching over to analogue when the digital signal to them is cut off by the MSO.
Broadcasters’ representatives on the other hand said MSOs had not approached the broadcasters for entering into interconnect agreements in new areas. The broadcasters felt that this was because MSOs do not have concrete plans.
Seeding was done by MSOs in Phase I and Phase II without first entering into interconnect agreements with broadcasters and this should not be an issue now, some of the broadcasters said.
They claimed that channel prices had gone up due to technical upgradation from SD to HD, but there had been no increase in the advertisement rates.
A TRAI representative said that according to a TDSAT judgment, MSO/LCO providing cable TV services were free to provide digital cable service in new areas unless it trespasses other areas. He impressed upon the broadcasters to enter into interconnect agreements with MSOs who approach them for content in Phase Ill and Phase IV areas.
Representative of consumer forums mentioned that pricing is the main issue which the consumers are facing. He added that consumers should know the price before he switches over to digital.
Representative of CEAMA stated that they approached as many MSOs as possible to clear their doubts about indigenous set top boxes. However the response from the MSOs has not been encouraging. He reiterated that they have the capacity to meet the requirements of Phase Ill and Phase IV.
A representative of the Uttar Pradesh Government mentioned that CAF forms should be filled by the MSOs before changing to digital mode in Phase Ill and Phase IV areas. He added that the State Government was not having complete seeding data of Phase II cities.
The representative of Jammu and Kashmir wanted consumers to be informed about the set top box price.
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.
