I&B Ministry
I&B minister to meet prime minister to discuss CAS
NEW DELHI: India’s information and broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad is reported to have sought an appointment with Prime Minister AB Vajpayee today after returning from a trip overseas. The agenda: in all probability conditional access system (CAS).
According to government officials, Prasad sought an appointment with the PM on 23 May and is likely to update him on CAS and the steps that his ministry has taken to ensure a smooth implementation.
If the meeting takes place, considering the PM is keeping a busy schedule these days, many issues, under cloud of doubts, may get cleared. One of them being that the Bharatiya Janata Party, to which Prasad and the PM belong, is said to have been upset with CAS implementation.
Moreover, this rumoured development, which was hotly denied by the party spokesperson yesterday at a press conference, took place when Prasad was out of the country, away to Cannes pitching, along with the industry, for India being the favoured destination for film shooting and other such things on a global platform.
I&B Ministry
AIDCF moves TDSAT over Waves plan to stream linear TV channels
Industry body flags regulatory gap as OTT push sparks broadcast turf war
NEW DELHI: The battle between traditional television distributors and digital platforms has found its way to the courts, with the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) moving the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against Prasar Bharati’s latest OTT play.
At the heart of the dispute is Waves, Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform, which has invited applications to onboard linear satellite TV channels. Aidcf, which represents multi-system operators (msos), argues that this move sidesteps existing broadcasting rules and risks tilting the playing field in favour of digital platforms.
The federation’s petition hinges on a key provision in the Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines, 2022. Clause 11(3)(f) allows broadcasters to downlink channels only if they provide signal decoders to recognised distribution platforms such as MSOS, DTH operators, hits operators and iptv platforms. OTT platforms, aidcf points out, do not feature on that list.
In simple terms, AIDCF’s argument is this: if OTT platforms are not officially recognised distributors, they should not be receiving broadcast signals in the first place. By inviting channels onto Waves, the federation claims, Prasar Bharati is opening a backdoor that lets broadcasters bypass long-standing rules.
The concern goes beyond legal interpretation. Aidcf says OTT platforms currently operate without a clear regulatory framework, allowing them to expand into traditional broadcasting territory without the compliance burden that cable and satellite operators must carry. That, it argues, creates an uneven contest.
There is also a warning for broadcasters. If they provide signal decoders to an OTT platform like Waves, they could risk breaching the very conditions under which their downlinking permissions were granted.
For its part, Prasar Bharati’s Waves initiative is positioned as a step towards wider access and digital reach, bringing linear television into the streaming era. But critics say the move blurs the line between regulated broadcasting and largely unregulated streaming.
The matter is expected to come up before tdsat next week. The outcome could do more than settle a single dispute. It may help define how India regulates the fast-merging worlds of television and OTT, where the lines are getting fuzzier by the day and the stakes, sharper than ever.
