News Broadcasting
MIB prohibited transmission of 15 TV channels since 2019: Anurag Thakur
Mumbai: The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has prohibited the transmission of 15 channels for violations under the uplinking/downlinking and of the programme code since 2019, minister of information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Thakur also said that the ministry has issued directions for blocking 56 YouTube-based news channels and their social media accounts for public access during 2021-22 under Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics) Rules 2021.
Between 2014-2021, the ministry of electronics and information technology also exercised its powers under Section 69 A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 to block 25,369 URLs, consisting of web pages, websites, pages on social media accounts etc.
The Lok Sabha questioned the minister whether the government is authorised to impose broadcast bans on TV channels and if it has outlined any policy for the same. It also asked if the government has put a redressal mechanism in place to hear the grievances of the channels.
The minister informed the Lok Sabha that all private satellite TV channels are granted permission by the ministry under the uplinking and downlinking guidelines, 2011 and are required to adhere to the terms and conditions of such permission including adherence to the programme code and advertisement code and other provisions laid down under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995.
He further noted that the grant of permission to a satellite TV channel under the guidelines is subject to security clearance by the ministry of home affairs as per the procedure laid down by it.
To address the grievances of TV channels, the government follows the due process of law and laid down the process before taking a decision to suspend/prohibit a channel. “Grievances related to the uplinking/downlinking guidelines are addressed by the ministry,” said Thakur.
The Lok Sabha also asked if the government had conveyed a detailed explanation of why MediaOne was not allowed to continue their broadcasting to the channel management. To which the I&B minister replied, “The government has followed due process of law and the laid down procedure before taking a decision regarding the cancellation of permission to TV news channel ‘Media One’. The matter is sub-judice before the Supreme Court.”
He further informed the Lok Sabha that details of channels whose permission has been cancelled for violation of the uplinking and downlinking guidelines are available on the I&B ministry’s Broadcast Seva portal.
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
