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Digitisation: Govt cancels registration of two Delhi MSOs
NEW DELHI: The government has taken its first punitive action against two MSOs, signaling to the industry its serious intent about sticking to its digitisation deadline in the four metros.
The Information & Broadcasting Ministry has revoked the registration of Home Cable Network (P) Limited and Swami Cable Network, both from Delhi, for not providing information on their preparedness for switching to digital delivery from 1 November 2012,
The two MSOs are registered with the Ministry and had been asked to furnish information regarding preparations for implementation of digital addressable systems (DAS) and their plans for infrastructure expansion as mandated in the DAS regime.
The non submission of data by the two MSOs “is indicative of their lack of seriousness to pursue their business as per the terms and conditions of their registration”, the Ministry said today, adding that in the overall context of implementation of DAS it had taken a serious view of the non-compliance of directions of the ministry by these two MSOs and revoked their registration after due notice.
Despite repeated written requests by the ministry, the information/data/details have not been furnished by both the MSOs and, therefore, have failed to comply with the provisions of Cable Act and Rules, the Ministry added.
When contacted, Home Cable founder-promoter Vikki Choudhry said he would move the Supreme Court. “I&B Minister Ambika Soni is being misguided by her advisors who had their own agenda. I will seek justice from the apex court.”
Choudhry also told indiantelevision.com that the action was mala fide as he had already met all the deadlines and even set up toll-free phones and seeded STBs in most homes. He said he had written to the Ministry on 7 August in reply to a show cause notice.
He said it was interesting that even though the government had set 1 June as the sunset date earlier, he had received his provisional registration only on 17 July and, therefore, the government itself was working behind schedules.
As part of regular monitoring of implementation of DAS in Phase-I in the four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, the ministry had sought data/information in three formats from MSOs.
The requisite data is essential to gauge the preparations, including plan of preparations afoot by MSOs to ensure that all the consumers on their networks are covered by the necessary technical infrastructure such as installation of set-top boxes (STBs) in the premises of subscribers so that no consumer is put to any hardship in the form of interruption in Cable TV services due to switch off of analogue signals on the date of implementation of DAS.
The ministry said in a statement that the preparedness of various activities for the implementation of DAS was being closely monitored. The success of DAS depends on timely seeding of STBs at the consumer premises.
Availability and deployment of STBs by MSOs/LCOs are of paramount importance for the implementation of DAS. Timely availability of accurate data with regard to the seeding of STBs by MSOs is critical for the ministry to ensure switchover to digital delivery within the time-frame as well as for taking mid-course corrections if necessary.
The ministry reiterated that “any non seriousness on the part of MSOs registered with the ministry would evoke stern action”.
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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.
