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‘Advance digitisation deadline in border areas’
NEW DELHI: A Parliamentary committee has ‘strongly‘ emphasised to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry that the digitisation deadline in the border areas should be advanced by taking proactive initiatives by the Government to check illegal television channels.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology to which the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Second Amendment Bill has been referred to, has pointed out that the ministry too has asserted that digitisation can provide a mechanism to regulate/monitor the problem of illegal channels being carried by cable operators.
It noted that the Ministry had stated that cable operators in the border areas can take the feed of the terrestrial channels of neighbouring countries which are not allowed to be shown in India. It is also possible that cable operator can pick illegal channels via broadband/internet or IPTV, mobile TV, video streaming and re-transmitting them.
The committee said from the information furnished by the Ministry, the initial order for constitution of State and District Level Monitoring Committees was issued on 6 September 2005 and detailed guidelines were issued on 19 February 2008. But it was ‘constrained‘ to note that only 15 States and 266 Districts have so far been able to set up these committees.
With regard to the State-wise position of status of these Committees, the Committee noted that in North Eastern States, Arunachal Pradesh is the only State which has set up the State Level Committee.
The Committee was also “constrained to note that the Ministry does not maintain centralized data about the functioning of these Committees”. The Committee felt that various issues confronting implementation of the provisions made in the Cable Act can be addressed by ensuring effective functioning of State and District Level Monitoring Committees. The Ministry should persuade the State Governments particularly the bordering States to set up these Committees expeditiously. Besides, the position of setting up of these Committees as well as their functioning should be constantly monitored by the Ministry.
The Bill introduced in Parliament in December last year seeks to insert a new clause via Section 5A in the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 that prohibits cable operators from carrying unregistered satellite or terrestrial channels on their cable service networks irrespective of manner of reception of these channels.
The Bill also proposes to amend sub-section(1) of section 11 to empower the Authorized Officers to seize the equipments of the Cable operators if it is found that cable operators indulge in re-transmission of illegal channels, that is, violation of section 5A. Financial penalties provided under section 16 (1) of the Cable Act for violation of the provisions of the Act are proposed to be enhanced from Rs 1000 to Rs 100,000 for the first offence and Rs 5000 to Rs 300,000 on each subsequent offence.
The amending legislation further provides that in case of violation of section 5A, fine imposed for the first offence shall not be less than Rs 50,000 and for every subsequent offence it shall not be less than
Rs 100,000. The Bill also proposes to amend section 16(2) to make contravention of section 5A a cognisable offence.
With the enactment of the proposed amendments, a cable operator would be allowed to carry only those channels which are indicated at Clause (a)(b)(c) of sub-Section (1) of section 5A as elaborated below:-
“5A. (1) No cable operator shall carry or include in his cable service any satellite or terrestrial television broadcast or channel unless such broadcast or channel has been:
(a) registered with, or permitted by, the Central Government for being viewed within the territory of India, in accordance with the policy guidelines for downlinking of television channels as may be specified by the Central Government from time to time; or
(b) approved by the Central Government for being viewed within the territory of India; or
(c) allowed in accordance with the provisions of any Central Act or rules made thereunder for being viewed within the territory of India.
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Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
