I&B Ministry
MIB, DoS nudge TV channel to use Indian satellites
MUMBAI: In what could be interpreted as unease of doing business instead of ease of it, the Indian government is nudging TV channels to deal with Indian entities if they employ the services of foreign satellites. And, till that happens, permissions are being withheld or delayed.
A letter, dated mid January 2018, from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to a Madhya Pradesh-based company owning and operating a TV channel suggested that as the Department of Space (DoS) was refusing to entertain the company’s application for a name change since it was uplinking to a foreign satellite, a strategy review could be considered.
Pointing out that DoS was “not considering” the application for changes as the broadcaster stated in its application it would be using a foreign satellite—in this case, an ITU co-ordinated IS-17—MIB’s letter stated that DoS had also asked it to advise the applicant to “make effort to use” either an Indian satellite or teleports operating on domestic satellites.
The applicant broadcaster has been given 15 days’ time by the MIB to respond with an update on plans for usage of an Indian satellite instead of a foreign satellite.
The company in question had made an application for a name and logo change of the TV channel twice in November and December last year. In its present avatar, the channel is uplinked to IS-17 satellite and its license, according to the MIB letter, is valid till June 2018.
These developments are taking place even as broadcast carriage regulator TRAI is in the process of holding consultations with stakeholders on the issue of ease of doing business in the broadcasting sector and its final recommendations are awaited. Towards the fag end of 2017, the regulator also separately floated a consultation paper on the various issues related to uplink and downlink of TV channels in India and industry submissions are still to flow in as the deadline was extended by the TRAI.
Over the last 10 days, TRAI has had two separate meetings—one a closed-door meeting with broadcast, cable and radio sectors’ senior representatives and the other an open house discussion on National Telecom Policy 2018 in New Delhi—with the industry, wherein various regulatory irritants were, reportedly, highlighted, including the fact that use of foreign satellites could very well give an additional fillip to PM Modi’s dream of taking broadband services to every nook and corner of India.
The regulator, in its recent recommendations on providing broadband and voice call services aboard airplanes in Indian airspace, had suggested that domestic and foreign satellites both be allowed to provide in-flight connectivity subject to certain security concerns being addressed. It is still to be seen whether the telecom ministry and the DoS-ISRO combine give their assent to the usage of non-Indian satellites, too.
Also Read :
2017 was a regulatory roller coaster and the ride continues
MIB reverts to earlier norms of seeking nod from ISRO on uplink/downlink of TV channels
ISRO stresses on indigenization; TRAI for Open Sky policy
MIB, TRAI allay industry fears on sat capacity leasing & content regulations
MUMBAI: When the numbers go silent, the noise on screen gets a little harder to measure. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has extended the suspension of television rating data for news channels, directing Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to withhold TRPs for another four weeks. The latest order, issued on March 31, 2026, builds on an earlier directive from March 6 that had paused ratings for a month. The ministry has clarified that the blackout will continue for four weeks or until further instructions are issued whichever comes earlier keeping the industry in a prolonged state of data drought.
The reasoning, officials suggest, lies far beyond domestic screens. With geopolitical tensions in West Asia continuing to escalate, the government has flagged concerns over how such developments could influence news consumption and presentation. The move is aimed at curbing excessive sensationalism and speculative coverage during what it describes as a sensitive global moment.
For the broadcast ecosystem, the absence of Television Rating Points (TRPs) is more than symbolic, it removes the industry’s primary scorecard. Ratings dictate advertising flows, shape editorial strategies and fuel the competitive pecking order among news channels. Without them, broadcasters are effectively operating without a public performance benchmark.
The timing only adds to the complexity. Amid a high-intensity global news cycle, channels must now navigate audience engagement without the weekly feedback loop that typically drives programming decisions. Advertisers, too, are left recalibrating, leaning on proxies such as brand strength, reach and distribution instead of hard viewership data.
While framed as a temporary regulatory intervention tied to maintaining public order, the extended suspension underscores a broader unease about the tone and direction of news coverage. For now, the ratings race is on pause but the battle for attention continues, just without a scoreboard.
