I&B Ministry
I&B ministry registers BCCC as Level II self-regulatory body under amended Cable TV rules
New Delhi: The ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B) has registered the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) as a self-regulatory body for redressal of grievances against the non-news television channels under the Cable TV Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2021 notified recently.
Founded in June 2011 by the Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF), BCCC is an independent self-regulatory body for non-news general entertainment channels that examines content-related grievances against over 300 non-news channels in the country.
“The BCCC shall perform all functions specified for a self-regulatory body in Rule 18 of the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2021,” the ministry said. While Justice (retd) AP Shah was the BCCC’s founding chairperson, Justice (retd) Gita Mittal is the present chairperson of the Council.
“It is a pleasant recognition of ten years of very hard work done by the BCCC under its various learned chairpersons,” BCCC’s general secretary Ashish Sinha told PTI.
Under the amended Cable TV network rules notified by the government in May, self-regulatory bodies of TV channels are required to be registered with the central government.
The amended rules stipulate a three-layer grievance redressal mechanism — self-regulation by broadcasters, self-regulation by the self-regulating bodies of broadcasters, and an oversight mechanism by the central government. The rules require each broadcaster to establish a grievance or complaint redressal mechanism, appoint an officer to deal with the complaints, display the contact details of their grievance officer on their website or interface and be a member of a self-regulating body.
As per the rules, any person aggrieved by the content of a programme of a channel may file his/her complaint in writing to the broadcaster first. “The broadcaster shall, within 24 hours of a complaint being filed, generate and issue an acknowledgment to the complainant for his information and record. The broadcaster shall dispose of the complaint and inform the complainant of its decision within 15 days of receipt of such complaint,” the rules state.
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati sets EPG standards for DD Free Dish platform
New specs define 7-day guide, LCN mapping, and device compatibility.
MUMBAI: Your TV guide just got a backstage pass structured, scheduled, and far more in sync. Prasar Bharati has released detailed technical specifications for Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services on DD Free Dish, laying down a standardised framework for how channels and programme information are organised and delivered. At the core of the update is a defined EPG data structure, covering genre-based categorisation, scheduling formats, and Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). The aim is simple: make navigation less guesswork and more guided experience across the platform’s over 40 million households.
The specifications also introduce a seven-day programme guide window for each channel, alongside clear rules for channel grouping and LCN mapping effectively deciding not just what you watch, but how easily you find it.
On the technical front, the document outlines requirements for Program Specific Information (PSI) and Service Information (SI), including descriptor usage across tables such as PAT, BAT and NIT. It further details service lists and network linkage parameters, giving OEMs and developers a clearer blueprint for integration.
Importantly, the framework is designed to work seamlessly with television sets equipped with in-built satellite tuners, enabling users to access DD Free Dish directly without additional hardware, an incremental but meaningful step towards simplifying access.
The platform will continue to operate on GSAT-15 transponders, using MPEG-4 compression and DVB-S2 transmission standards, ensuring continuity even as the interface evolves.
While largely technical, the move signals a broader push towards standardisation and user-friendly discovery in India’s free-to-air ecosystem because sometimes, the real upgrade isn’t what’s on screen, but how easily you get there.
