I&B Ministry
Smriti Irani says govt mulling legislation for online content
MUMBAI: With the rising usage of social media, platforms are witnessing an increasing incidence of hate content. Since these platforms do not fall under any regulation in India, it’s a tough task to curb the problem with the help of law. Information and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani said at the Rising India summit that the ministry was planning to bring about regulations, especially for online news, opinion and entertainment content.
With the rise of technology and social media users, the amount of fake news spreading online is also increasing. Many of the news pieces are editorialised, undermining the true information. Irani also expressed her concern over this trend at the summit. “We cannot ignore the capacity of fake news to demean. We cannot ignore the technology engineered to deteriorate,” she said.
When a newspaper or a television channel runs news, it has to adhere to the law. There are self-regulatory bodies to set guidelines for traditional media. In the online ecosystem, however, the legislation in terms of news or video content is not very clear. Moreover, social media now acts as an open platform for citizens to voice their opinion. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) is currently working on to control the balance by introducing some regulation to fight this problem. Irani also mentioned that the ministry was having conversations with various stakeholders on this.
“This is something the ministry is considering to classify similar to what is reflected in broadcasting. Having a similar line of ethics and code of conduct has to be put in place which is incumbent upon the agencies to abide by to ensure that customers do not get affected by the vested views in news, broadcasting and advertorial content,” she added.
According to some earlier reports, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was also evaluating a consultation process to regulate online video-streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hotstar.
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I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati opens AIR to private content under new policy
NIPP introduces revenue share, sponsored and gratis models
MUMBAI: Radio may be the oldest voice in the room, but it’s learning some very modern tricks. In a bid to stay tuned to changing listener habits, Prasar Bharati has opened the doors of All India Radio to private players under a newly rolled-out content framework. The initiative, titled Notice Inviting Programme Proposals (NIPP), marks a significant shift in how the public broadcaster approaches programming moving from a largely in-house model to a more collaborative, market-aligned ecosystem. Issued by Akashvani’s Directorate General in April 2026, the policy invites private producers, content owners and aggregators to pitch programmes across formats, from radio dramas and documentaries to quiz shows, storytelling and music-led content.
At the heart of the framework lies a three-pronged participation model designed to balance creative freedom with commercial viability. The most prominent route is revenue sharing, where advertising and sponsorship income generated by a programme is split between the producer and the broadcaster. The structure tilts in favour of creators offering a 70:30 split when producers bring in advertising, and 65:35 when monetisation is handled by Prasar Bharati.
Alongside this sits the sponsored model, where producers fully fund and monetise their content, subject to compliance with advertising norms and the AIR Broadcast Code. For those less commercially inclined, a gratis route allows content to be submitted free of cost, with Prasar Bharati retaining all monetisation rights effectively turning the platform into a national distribution channel for diverse voices.
The move comes as legacy media grapples with intensifying competition from private FM networks, streaming platforms and digital audio ecosystems. By repositioning AIR as both a public service broadcaster and a content marketplace, Prasar Bharati appears to be recalibrating its role in a rapidly evolving media landscape.
Importantly, the framework does not dilute editorial control. All submissions must adhere to the AIR Broadcast Code, and proposals are evaluated through a layered process that weighs storytelling quality, production capability, audience appeal and revenue potential. Only proposals crossing a defined threshold move forward, signalling that while access has widened, the bar remains firmly in place.
Operational discipline is another cornerstone of the policy. Producers are required to maintain broadcast-ready content, deliver episode banks in advance and navigate a structured approval process. Crucially, all production costs are borne by the content provider, reinforcing Prasar Bharati’s positioning as a distribution and oversight platform rather than a commissioning entity.
What elevates the initiative further is its scale. The framework spans multiple clusters and stations across India, covering both metro and regional markets, with specific language mandates and submission channels. This not only expands the content pipeline but also deepens linguistic and cultural representation, an area where AIR has historically held an advantage.
In effect, NIPP signals a quiet but meaningful transformation. AIR is no longer just broadcasting to the nation, it is inviting the nation to broadcast with it, blending legacy reach with contemporary content economics in a bid to stay relevant in an increasingly fragmented audio universe.
