I&B Ministry
I&B ministry discusses DTH set top specifications
NEW DELHI: Action seems to be happening slowly on the DTH front. Now, the information and broadcasting ministry will prepare a note on set-top boxes for KU-band DTH television services in the country after the merits and demerits of proprietary technology and open architecture were discussed today in a meeting of officials from the Bureau of Indian Standards and the ministry.
According to government sources, today’s meeting was a “preliminary one” where additional secretary (broadcasting) of the I&B ministry, Anil Baijal, was the senior most official. The matter is also likely to be discussed with I&B minister Sushma Swaraj before a note is prepared.
After the BIS receives the note from the I&B ministry, which will also keep the existing guidelines on DTH in mind, the matter of open architecture vs proprietary technology will be referred to a BIS committee on radio communication for the viewpoint of BIS.
The BIS committee on radio communication, which will debate and formulate the official BIS response on set-top boxes for DTH issue, comprises representatives from media companies like Star, cable operators and is headed by the chief engineer of All India Radio.
Though the existing DTH guidelines, announced late 2000, mandates that any DTH service provider must go in for open architecture, the broadcasting lobby has been insisting on the fact that there is no such thing called open architecture and any DTH service draws subscribers for showing premium products for which common encryption is not possible.
Even after over 18 months since the time the government announced the guidelines on DTH in India, only two companies have filed for licence with the I&B ministry. The companies are Space TV (a Star affiliate) and Agrani, a satellite company promoted by the chairman of Zee Telefilms, Subhash Chandra.
I&B Ministry
MIB cancels registrations of 114 MSOs in compliance crackdown
Total active MSOs now 756 after 1,159 exits since early 2025.
MUMBAI- MIB just pulled the plug on 114 more cable operators because when the regulator says “cut the cord,” it really means cut the cord. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has cancelled the registrations of 114 multi-system operators (MSOs) for non-compliance, denial of security clearance and suppression of critical information, continuing its year-long clean-up of India’s cable distribution ecosystem.
As of 28 February 2026, the total number of registered MSOs has fallen to 756 after 1,159 operators exited the market through cancellations, voluntary surrenders or lapsed licences. This follows a similar exercise in the previous year when, as of 31 March 2025, around 1,045 registrations had expired, been surrendered or cancelled, bringing the count down from higher levels to 845 before the latest round.
The sustained contraction signals a structural shift toward a more organised, compliant sector. Regulatory scrutiny has intensified on operational transparency, adherence to licensing norms and security clearances, effectively weeding out smaller or non-compliant players.
Industry observers view the moves as a deliberate push toward consolidation, where only operators meeting strict standards remain active. Additional rejections of over 14 applications last year on grounds such as non-payment of dues and suppression of information further underscore the ministry’s stricter stance.
In India’s cable TV landscape, where channels once multiplied faster than viewers could count them, MIB is quietly rewiring the entire grid, one cancellation at a time until only the cleanest signals survive.
