I&B Ministry
India emerges as content hub: I&B ministry hosts WAVE Summit 2025
Mumbai: India is positioning itself as a global content hub, with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting spearheading initiatives to foster innovation in the broadcasting sector. The WAVESummit, scheduled from 5-9 February 2025, will challenge content creators with 27 unique opportunities, providing a national and international platform for talent showcasing and employment generation.
On 17 October 2024, information and broadcasting minister of state, L. Murugan inaugurated a symposium on ‘Emerging Trends and Technologies in Broadcasting,’ hosted by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) during the India Mobile Congress 2024. The event witnessed key addresses by industry leaders, including TRAI chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti, ministry of I&B secretary Sanjay Jaju, and TRAI secretary Atul Kumar Chaudhary.
Murugan emphasised that India’s broadcasting sector is undergoing a transformative phase due to technological advancements. With the rise of social media, the landscape of content creation has dramatically expanded, turning India into a major player in the global content economy. “We live in a content-driven economy, and India is emerging as a content hub,” said Murugan. He also highlighted the government’s focus on promoting content production through a streamlined single-window system to enhance the ease of doing business, particularly in the AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics) sector.
Further supporting content growth, the union cabinet recently approved the auctioning of FM radio channels in 234 new cities, aiming to boost local content and create more employment opportunities. Murugan reaffirmed the government’s commitment to leveraging technological advancements to strengthen the broadcasting sector’s contribution to India’s economic and cultural development.
Jaju, in his special address, emphasised the potential of digital radio and direct-to-mobile (D2M) broadcasting. He mentioned ongoing trials conducted by Prasar Bharati in collaboration with IIT Kanpur and Saankhya Labs, aiming to deliver content directly to mobile devices using low- and high-power transmitters. Jaju also underscored the transformative potential of 5G technology, particularly when combined with immersive media such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), which could redefine the content consumption experience.
The symposium also focused on discussions around strengthening the regulatory framework. Chaudhary highlighted the necessity of adapting regulations to meet emerging technological needs. He noted that today’s discussions aim to shape future policies that ensure a balanced and inclusive broadcasting ecosystem.
Lahoti highlighted the booming growth of India’s media & entertainment sector, projected to reach Rs 3.08 trillion by 2026, driven by new media platforms and immersive technologies. He reiterated TRAI’s commitment to fostering innovation through forward-looking regulatory recommendations.
The symposium explored the future of immersive technologies, D2M, and 5G broadcasting. The event featured over 100 national and international participants, with expert speakers from various industries, including broadcasting and telecommunications.
I&B Ministry
IT Rules tweaks are clarificatory, not expansion of powers: MeitY
Govt signals flexibility as platforms push for clarity on user content rules
NEW DELHI: The Centre has sought to dial down concerns over its proposed amendments to the IT Rules, with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology secretary S Krishnan asserting that the changes are intended as clarifications rather than an expansion of regulatory powers.
Pushing back against criticism from platforms and civil society, S Krishnan said the amendments “do not in any way actually give us wider powers” and are meant to remove ambiguity in how existing provisions are applied. He added that the trigger came largely from within the ecosystem, with intermediaries themselves seeking clearer guidance on compliance, takedowns and record preservation.
At the heart of the debate is the growing friction between platforms and policymakers over responsibility for user-generated content. Intermediaries have argued that they should not be treated on par with publishers, particularly when content is created and uploaded by users. Krishnan acknowledged this concern, noting that “a sharper distinction” between user content and publisher content is needed and is currently under examination.
The issue becomes more complex in enforcement scenarios. While registered publishers can be directly asked to modify or remove content, intermediaries often lack control over the original creator. “In such cases, the intermediary cannot direct those changes,” Krishnan explained, underlining the need for procedural nuance.
Another key proposal under discussion is to bring user-generated news and current affairs content within a more unified regulatory ambit, potentially under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The move follows suggestions that a single authority should handle such content, regardless of whether it originates from a publisher or an individual user.
Even as the government frames the amendments as a tidy-up exercise, fault lines remain. Industry players have flagged concerns over compliance burdens, especially for smaller businesses, and questioned whether advisories could effectively become binding without explicit legislative backing. Krishnan said the government is mindful of these risks and is exploring ways to ease obligations, including possible relaxations under certain provisions.
The ministry is also considering consolidating multiple advisories and guidelines into a more structured framework, a step widely seen as addressing long-standing confusion over what platforms are expected to follow.
On takedowns, the government has reiterated that due process will remain unchanged. Krishnan stressed that actions will continue to be governed by established procedures, with reasons recorded and review mechanisms in place. He also pointed to the surge in deepfakes and synthetic media as a factor behind rising content disputes, calling it a “scale challenge” for regulators.
Interestingly, Krishnan also framed social media platforms as commercial entities rather than pure vehicles of free expression, hinting at a broader shift in regulatory thinking as platform economics come into sharper focus.
With stakeholders seeking more time and, in some cases, a rollback of the proposals, the government has kept the consultation process open-ended. Krishnan said further revisions remain on the table, signalling a willingness to adapt the draft based on feedback.
For now, the message from MeitY is clear: the rules may not be tightening in intent, but the effort to define them more clearly is well underway.
