Recently, India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting released a draft of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023. With the new bill, over-the-top (OTT) broadcasting services (like Disney+ Hotstar, Netflix, JioCinema, etc.) will also be brought under regulation. Most importantly, the fact that OTT services are being included in this bill, means that these platforms are being classified as broadcast services.
Moreover, OTT services will also be required to provide an intimation to the government that they are providing OTT broadcasting services if they meet a certain threshold of subscribers/ viewers in India. This needs to be done within one month of the bill being notified or within a month of the service reaching the prescribed number of subscribers/viewers. In the interest of preventing genuine hardship for OTT providers, the government can relax any of the regulations prescribed under this bill for OTT broadcasting services that do not meet the threshold of subscribers/viewers.
What do these rules mean for OTT platforms and is it accurate enough to classify streaming platforms under broadcasting services?
We explain in this video:
Also Read:
- Supreme Court Stays OTT Streaming Regulation Hearings In High Courts, To Take Petitions Up In April
- Guidelines And Directives “Almost Ready” For OTT Streaming Regulation: Prakash Javadekar
- OTT Streaming Regulation: IAMAI Suggests Better Representation Of External Members In Complaint Panels
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