I&B Ministry
I&B ministry clears Chandra’s bid for DTH licence
NEW DELHI: Time to pop the double bubbly at Essel/Zee, it seems. First HITS, now DTH!
It is learnt from government sources that the file relating to the DTH licence, sought by the Subhash Chandra-promoted ASC Enterprises, has been cleared by the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry paving the way for the work to begin on putting together a DTH platform.
Yesterday, the Indian government formally signed an agreement with the Chandra company for the teleport/uplink licence for the headend in the sky (HITS) project, being sought to be implemented by Zee Telefilms’ cable arm Siti Cable.
Contacted by indiantelevision, a senior executive of the ASC Enterprises today confirmed that the government has issued them a letter for teleport/uplink from Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi, from where various Zee family channels are uplinked through the facility of Essel
Shyam, a joint venture between the Essel group and Shyam Electronics.
Buoyed by various developments, Siti Cable, that would be implementing the HITS project in a post-conditional access regime, has already shot off letters to various broadcasters (like Star and Sony Entertainment TV) requesting to be supplied with a particular type of boxes that would be needed during the `turn around’ of pay channels from the central uplink facility for the HITS venture.
According to company sources, Siti Cable is likely to maintain the subscriber management system and look after other aspects of HITS. The company is also looking at three to four vendors who can supply it with readymade conditional access boxes that would be needed by cable operators and viewers to access the pay channels.
A source close to the deal making said, “Since Siti cable is likely to place bulk orders for the boxes, the price that it is looking at for the digital boxes would be between $ 43-48.
Rupee dollar exchange rate $1 = Rs 47.50
I&B Ministry
CBFC speeds up film certification; average approval time cut to 22 days
Over 71,900 films cleared in five years as digital system shortens approval timelines
MUMBAI:Â The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has significantly reduced the time taken to certify films, with the average approval timeline now down to 22 working days for feature films and just three days for short films.
Operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the statutory body certifies films for public exhibition in line with the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024. The rules prescribe a maximum certification period of 48 working days, though the adoption of the Online Certification System has sharply accelerated the process.
Over the past five years, from 2020-21 to 2024-25, the board certified a total of 71,963 films across formats. Of these, the majority fell under the U category with 41,817 titles, followed by UA with 28,268 films and A with 1,878 films. No films were certified under the S category during the period.
Film approvals have also steadily risen in recent years. The CBFC cleared 8,299 films in 2020-21, a figure that peaked at 18,070 in 2022-23 before settling at 15,444 films in 2024-25. During the same period, 11,064 films were certified with cuts or modifications.
Despite the high volume of certifications, outright refusals remain rare. Only three films were denied certification over the last five years, with one refusal recorded in 2022-23 and two in 2024-25.
The board may recommend cuts or modifications if a film violates statutory parameters relating to the sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality, defamation, contempt of court or incitement to an offence.
Filmmakers can challenge CBFC decisions in court. Data shows that such disputes remain limited but have seen some fluctuation. Between 2021 and 2025, a total of 21 certification decisions were challenged before High Courts, with the number rising to 10 cases in 2025.
Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, minister of state for information and broadcasting L. Murugan shared the data. The question was raised by Mallikarjun Kharge.
With faster timelines and a largely digital workflow, the certification process appears to be moving at a far brisker pace, signalling a shift towards quicker clearances for India’s growing film output.
