The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on April 2 launched a second consultation to seek inputs on the National Broadcasting Policy, which the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting seeks to put out later this year. A pre-consultation on the policy had been held by TRAI last year.
The consultation seeks inputs on the broad objectives of the consultation; suggestions on measuring the broadcast industry’s contributions to the economy; strategies to improve TV access in households and boost local manufacturing of broadcast equipment; improve India’s standing as an “uplinking hub” to attract foreign broadcasters; strengthening Doordarshan and All India Radio parent Prasar Bharati; upskilling broadcast industry workers and encouraging local content; and updating policy and regulatory frameworks.
The policy is likely to expand the ambit of broadcasting from linear television to streaming and online gaming. The I&B Ministry’s draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023 has suggested more stringent controls on streaming services, something the Delhi-based Internet Freedom Foundation said “will have serious consequences for online free speech and artistic creativity”.
The television industry’s revenue was projected in March by EY India to grow by ₹6,900 crore by 2026. The digital industry, on the other hand, is projected to grow by ₹30,100 crore, which is over four times higher. Radio is estimated to grow by only ₹500 crore.
Traditional broadcast distribution players lamented the regulatory edge that streaming platforms have. “The regulatory imbalances and pricing structure relating to OTT Platforms need to be addressed in the National Broadcasting Policy for a level playing field in the market,” Tata Play, India’s largest DTH provider, said in its filing for the pre-consultation.
“We humbly submit that digital media is not part of the broadcasting ecosystem and therefore should not be covered under the proposed policy,” the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation, which represents TV channels as well as their associated streaming platforms, said in its comments.
