I&B Ministry
MIB gives licences to 5 new channels
MUMBAI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) gave licenses to five new channels up until 31 December 2018. The channels are P Plus, PTunes, Living Travelz, Star Movies Kids and Star Movies Kids HD.
Graphisads Private Ltd got the permission for uplinking and downlinking P Plus and PTunes (non-news) on GSAT-17 satellite in Hindi, English and all Indian scheduled languages on 27 December 2018.
Essel Group-owned Living Entertainment Enterprises (LEEPL) got the permission for uplinking and downlinking Living Travelz (non-news) on Intelsat-20 in Hindi and English language on 9 December 2018. Going by the name, Living Travelz, mostly will be a lifestyle channel which will compete against FYI TV18, TLC, Fox Life. The teleport operator of the channel will be Dish TV India.
Surprisingly, Star India is planning to target the kids' audience and got the permission for Star Movies Kids and its HD version on Asiasat-7 satellite. The competitors for the broadcaster in the kids industry are Nick, CN, Pogo, Hungama, Disney and Discovery Kids.
The number of private satellite TV channels having valid permission in India stands at 883 as on 31 December 2018. 497 channels are non-news channels and the remaining 386 are news channels.
Of the 883 permitted private satellite channels, TV channels permitted for uplinking from India and also to downlink into India are 785. Nine non-news channels and five news channels are permitted for uplinking from India but not downlink into the country. 84 TV channels are uplinked from abroad which only have downlinking permission in India. This category includes 15 news and 69 non-news channels.
I&B Ministry
India tightens anti-piracy law, blocks sites and Telegram channels
New rules bring jail terms, fines and faster takedowns of illegal content
NEW DELHI: The Government of India has stepped up its fight against film piracy, invoking stricter provisions under the Cinematograph Amendment Act 2023 to crack down on unauthorised recording and distribution.
The law now imposes tougher penalties, including jail terms ranging from three months to three years and fines starting at Rs. 3 lakh, which can go up to 5 per cent of a film’s production cost. The provisions target both illegal recording in cinemas and unauthorised online transmission.
In a fresh enforcement push, authorities have notified the Telegram platform to act against piracy, leading to the identification of 3,142 channels allegedly distributing copyrighted content without permission. In parallel, access to around 800 piracy websites has been blocked through internet service providers.
The action has been taken under the Information Technology Act 2000, which empowers the government to direct intermediaries to remove unlawful content. The framework is further reinforced by the Information Technology Rules 2021, requiring platforms to act swiftly when notified of violations.
An institutional mechanism is also in place, allowing copyright holders and authorised representatives to file complaints through designated nodal officers. Once verified, these complaints trigger takedown notices to intermediaries for disabling access to infringing content.
The update was shared in Parliament by Government of India minister of state information and broadcasting l murugan in response to a query from Parimal Nathwani.
The government’s latest move signals a sharper, more coordinated approach to tackling piracy across both physical and digital channels. For the film industry, it is a step towards protecting revenues, while for viewers, it reinforces the shift towards legitimate content consumption.
