I&B Ministry
IBF seeks service tax exemption for electronic media
MUMBAI: The Indian Broadcasting Foundation has urged the government to exempt the broadcast industry from service tax as part of its wish list for the forthcoming Union Budget.
In a pre-budget memorandum submitted to the finance minister, the IBF has listed out the major issues affecting the broadcasting industry. Pointing out that advertisements in the electronic media are subject to service tax whereas the same are exempt from the tax in print media, the IBF says there is no justification for such discrimination.
Failing a full exemption, the IBF has asked for service tax to be charged on 25 per cent of the advertising revenue, as an average 75 per cent of the cost is for content creation and not for generating the revenue from the advertisements, the IBF argues. It has also recommended customs duty on broadcasting equipment to be kept at par with telecom equipment , currently at five per cent.
The plea for exemption on customs duty for set top boxes for at least another three year continues in the IBF’s wish list for the second year running. Also added is a plea for no excise duty on STBs, to encourage indigenous production of the boxes.
The IBF has also asked for a maximum rate of five per cent as a prescribed TDS rate for airtime sales, to do away with the practice of foreign broadcasters having to apply to the IT assessing officers every year.
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.
