I&B Ministry
MIB, TRAI to examine DAS Phase III interconnect issues
NEW DELHI: Multi-system operators and local cable operators were yesterday assured by senior officials of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that contentious issues relating to interconnect agreements of Phase III of digitisation would be resolved.
In a meeting held under the chairmanship of MIB additional secretary Jayashree Mukherjee, the MSOs and LCOs presented problems being faced by them.
Primarily, the issues arise in the areas switching from analogue to digital addressable system and where the MSOs and LCOs have to sign fresh interconnect agreements with broadcasters.
In the last meeting of the DAS Task Force on 31 August 2016, it was stated that the broadcasters should request the MSOs with whom they have interconnect agreements but who have not applied for MSO registration whether they were interested to work as an MSO in DAS-notified area failing which they would not be able to act as an MSO after the cut-off date.
MIB was told that there are around 6,000 MSOs operating in the country, but only about 1,300 had applied for the MSO registration.
The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) representative was requested to ensure that similar action is taken by all members of the organisation and also that a list of member-boradcasters with their e-mail addresses is sent so that MIB could also write to them.
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I&B Ministry
MIB cancels licences of three JioStar sports channels
Unchi Udann, Sports18 Hindi HD and Sports18 2HD permissions revoked on 20 February 2026; follows integration into Star Sports.
MUMBAI: JioStar’s sports channels just got benched by the regulator because when the ministry says “off air”, even the biggest players can’t argue with the whistle. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has revoked the uplinking and downlinking permissions for three non-news television channels operated by JioStar India Private Limited. The licences for Unchi Udann (previously Sports18 Hindi), Sports18 Hindi HD, and Sports18 2HD were cancelled on 20 February 2026, with the ministry citing a business decision by the broadcaster.
The move comes after JioStar integrated all Sports18 channels into the Star Sports Network, effective 15 March 2025, effectively consolidating its sports offerings under one umbrella. In India’s tightly regulated broadcast landscape, private satellite channels require MIB permissions for both uplinking (transmission to satellite) and downlinking (reception from satellite), making such cancellations a formal end to a channel’s on-air life.
This isn’t an isolated case. Earlier this month, on 12 February 2026, Living Foodz HD also surrendered its licence, with MIB noting the channel’s uplink and downlink had already been suspended since 13 November 2023 due to non-economic and financial viability issues.
For viewers, the change is largely seamless sports content continues uninterrupted on Star Sports channels. For JioStar, it’s a quiet pruning of legacy brands as the company sharpens focus on a unified sports portfolio in a crowded market. In a sector where spectrum and permissions are hard-won, losing them can feel like a red card but when it’s part of a deliberate strategy, it’s more tactical substitution than outright defeat.
