TRAI moves to regulate free streaming TV apps

NEW DELHI: India’s telecom regulator has trained its sights on a fast-growing corner of the broadcasting market that has so far operated in a regulatory grey zone. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released a consultation paper on Monday seeking to build a formal regulatory framework for application-based linear television distribution (ALTD) services, a category that includes free ad-supported streaming television, better known as FAST services.

The move follows a reference from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, made on 15th December 2025 under Section 11(1)(a) of the TRAI Act 1997, asking the regulator to examine and recommend rules for FAST services with a focus on three things: parity with existing broadcasting platforms, content accountability and consumer protection.

ALTD services cover a broad and booming segment: apps that deliver live, linear TV channels to viewers, whether pre-installed on smart television sets and other devices, downloaded as mobile or smart TV applications, or accessed through web browsers. As these platforms have multiplied, they have done so largely without the licensing and content obligations that govern traditional cable and satellite broadcasters, a gap that regulators are now keen to close.

The consultation paper puts two sets of questions on the table. The first concerns the terms and conditions under which application providers should be authorised to offer ALTD services. The second addresses the obligations that broadcasters, content providers and aggregators must meet when placing linear TV channels on these platforms.

Stakeholders have until 4th May 2026 to submit written comments and until May 18th to file counter-comments, preferably by email to advbcs-2@trai.gov.in and jtadvisor-bcs@trai.gov.in. The full text of the consultation paper is available on TRAI’s website at www.trai.gov.in. For clarifications, Deepali Sharma, advisor (B&CS) at TRAI, can be reached at +91-11-20907774.

India’s streaming market has exploded in recent years, and FAST channels, which cost viewers nothing and are funded by advertising, have emerged as a potent vehicle for reaching mass audiences on connected televisions. Regulators the world over are scrambling to catch up. TRAI has now made clear it does not intend to be left behind.