I&B Ministry

A soap called I&B

Published

22 years ago

October 11, 2003

Conditional access system (CAS), new uplinking norms for the TV news channels, KU-band direct-to-home (DTH) television service finally on the horizon – it has been action time for the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry, of late. But how successful has been the government in giving shape to policy decisions?

On the occasion of the more than 17-party coalition federal government completing four years in office on 13 October, indiantelevision.com takes a look at the performance of the I&B ministry over the last 12 months.

The I&B ministry is the nodal ministry for the information, broadcasting and entertainment (including films) sectors. The functions of the three sectors, the government feels, are complementary to each other and cannot be strictly compartmentalised.

In the last five years, the rapid advances being made globally in the entertainment and broadcasting sectors and a series of bold policy initiatives have transformed the role of the ministry from an information disseminator to a facilitator of economic growth.

“People blame me for a lot of things including the CAS fiasco, but one must appreciate that I have inherited many things in a legacy”

I&B minister Ravi Shankar Prasad‘s these quotes may just become his famous last words!

Up-linking policy
Till recently, the policy permitted all TV channels, irrespective of ownership equity structure or management control, to uplink from India.

Taking advantage of this policy, the I&B ministry insists, 92 channels have received permission for uplinking from India. In addition, India is envisaged to become an up-linking hub. For this purpose, 49 per cent foreign equity has been permitted in Indian companies setting up teleports. A total of 23 teleports have been approved already.

However, the review of the uplinking policy, which now stipulates that in news channels desirous of uplinking from India, foreign investment would be limited up to 26 per cent only, created more controversies than anticipated.

Allegation flew thick that the government had succumbed to the pressures from domestic media companies like Zee, Sahara, Aaj Tak and others, still reeling under the onslaught of the success story spun by Star India few years ago riding piggyback the hugely popular Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC)
game show on Star Plus.

The uplinking policy was further revised earlier this year to ensure that at least one single Indian entity owns 51 per cent of equity and editorial and managerial control remain in the hands of Indians only. This again was seen as owing to the wishes of the Indian media industry, which also hurriedly came under an umbrella organisation called the Indian Media Group to lobby for a level-playing field.

Star India, of course, hit back saying that channels like Zee News, Sahara Samay and Aaj Tak were afraid of the tough competition that Star News was giving.

To be fair to the government, and the I&B minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, every country has the right to frame rules and regulations to suit its local needs and sensitivities – in this connection India cannot be termed something unique.

What could have been avoided by the government is the unsavory atmosphere leading up to the policy change and the subsequent letter work between the government and Star India, questioning its role in Media Content and Communications Services (MCCS).

India‘s first DTH
It took over two years for the government to finally issue a license for a KU-band DTH service in India, and the first off the block, shortcomings notwithstanding, was the Subhash Chandra-controlled ASC Enterprise that has put together a platform in association with another Chandra company Zee
Telefilms.

Though the government opened up DTH transmission service in the KU-band field over two years ago, the cumbersome procedures, which raise the usual bogey of national security, not only delayed action in this segment, but also dipped the appetite to invest. However, India‘s pubcaster Doordarshan (DD) is also slated to launch a DTH service to reach the rural, mountainous and inaccessible areas.

Cable TV regulation/CAS fiasco
In the third year in office, if one is asked to name the biggest flop show of the year produced by the government, then that answer would undoubtedly be CAS.

With an aim to bring transparency in the cable distribution system and to protect the TV consumers from frequent and arbitrary hikes in cable subscription, the Cable Act was amended to introduce CAS for pay channels. CAS would also give consumers the choice to pay for only those pay channels they wish to view.

CAS demanded that a set-top box be installed at the consumer‘s place. No box was required for receiving free to air channels, however.

However, the political and industry circus that followed the government announcement to bring about addressability could have itself made a chart-topping high TRP attracting soap opera. The twist and turns still continue with Chennai hiccuping with CAS rollout and the Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata subscribers sitting in an environment of pretty confusion.

Industry status to entertainment sector
One of the major policy initiatives that was meant to revolutionise the film production in the country has been the granting of the ‘Industry Status‘ to the entertainment sector that includes the film-making segment.

Institutional finance and other facilities are now available to the sector. The Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) and the commercial banks have already started financing film and other entertainment projects. These banks sanctioned assistance worth over Rs 5,600 million, the government has
said, but a general apprehension about the film industry still continues in the organised financial world.

But a laudable step is that it gives fillip to availability of clean credit for new projects.

Encouraging exports

Thanks to the govt‘s active encouragement in exporting entertainment products, films like ‘Lagaan‘ have made to the Oscars

The government in recent times has actively encouraged export of Indian entertainment products, including films, music and animation capability.

Apart from participation in film festivals and markets abroad, a partnership with the industry has been established through FICCI and CII, which will help make inroads into the global market.

In the past five years, besides the increase in export revenue from Rs 2,500 million to over Rs 9,000 million, there has been recognition of Indian films at Cannes, Locarno and in other parts of the world and also nominations for films like Lagaan for Oscar Awards. To further add some business zing to the story, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed with Italy for co-production and co-distribution of films. Similar MOUs/agreements are being pursued with France, Canada, UK and other countries.

Radio broadcasting on the rise
In order to diversify radio services and provide choice in entertainment to the people, FM broadcasting has been opened up for the private broadcasters, according to the government.

Five private FM channels at Mumbai and one each at Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Pune, Vishakapatnam, Coimbatore, Trivananthapuram and Indore have been operationalised. The private FM services in Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata have also been on air.

But in between the first and the yet-to-start second phase, the private FM players realized that in their enthusiasm to outbid competition, too much of money had been sunk into license fee and such things. The usual wailing from the industry has led the government to set up a task force to look into the radio broadcast policy and the steps needed to be taken to streamline things for the future.

The second phase is likely to be taken up after April next year and the task force on radio broadcast policy will submit its recommendations later this month. The task force would assess the functioning of the Phase I of FM radio privatisation and suggest steps to improve the system in the second phase, including the possibility of allowing news and current affairs on private FM radio channels.

It still needs to be seen whether the government accepts all
the recommendations of the task force for implementation or does it selectively to retain certain control.

All India Radio (AIR), in the meantime, launched its second FM channel providing both news and entertainment content.

Upgrading Prasar Bharati
A special package of Rs 4,300 million for improvement of AIR/DD infrastructure in Jammu & Kashmir has been implemented. Another package for improvement of the AIR/DD infrastructure in the northeast region (including Sikkim and Island territories) is being implemented during the tenth Five-Year Plan. In the northeast, a scheme for establishment of 160 cable head-ends in select villages has been taken up.

Critics, however, lament that sinking such huge amount of money in the organisation is futile as AIR and DD, put together, are so huge that its size has slowed it down.

New(s) channels on DD

Today, DD has 24-hours channels in Gujarati, Bangla, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam, Punjabi and Oriya

Twenty-four hours satellite channels have been launched in Gujarati, Bangla, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam, Punjabi and Oriya by the DD.

But what is making more news is the relaunch of the 24-hour news channel expected next month, by converting the broadcaster‘s entertainment channel DD Metro into DD News.

The justification for this is that it would provide around-the-clock news and current affairs information to the people on the terrestrial channel and extend the service to rural and other areas, which are not covered by cable services.

Still, the skeptics firmly believe that taxpayers‘ money is being used to experiment with a news channel at a time when elections are round the corner.

FDI in print
A review of the policy on allowing foreign investment in the print media was carried out and effected last year. Publication of Indian editions of foreign scientific, technical, specialty journals on a case-by-case basis has been allowed aFDI of up to 74 per cent. As for Indian entities publishing newspapers/periodicals dealing with news and current affairs, FDI of up to 26 per cent has also been allowed on a case-by-case basis.

But till now very few main-line proposals have come. The big ones being Hindustan Times-Hendersen Global deal and Financial Times of London deciding to pick up about 14 per cent stake in Business Standard.

Expenditure reforms commission
In response to the recommendations of the Expenditure Reforms Commission and after extensive review of the functioning of the various units of the ministry, a proposal was made to rationalize the structure of the units without adversely impinging on operational efficiency. Part of its effort was to cut the size of the government and the people it employs.

To this end, 1,334 posts in the various media units of the ministry were identified that could be abolished in a phased manner. Out of these, 334 posts have already been abolished.

…And more
Apart from these, yes, the I&B ministry has undertaken many other activities that can be termed routine and obligatory. But as I&B minister Prasad would put it, “People blame me for lot of things (including the CAS fiasco), but one must appreciate that I have inherited many things in a legacy and they were not my doing.” May just turn out to be famous last words!

Related Topics:analogue Broadcasting CAS digitisation DTH I&B ministry indiantelevision News Ravi Shankar Prasad TV

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I&B Ministry

MIB sets OTT accessibility rules, mandates captions and audio description

Platforms get three years to add features for hearing and visually impaired

Published

3 weeks ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

NEW DELHI: The government has asked OTT platforms to make their shows easier to watch and hear. A new set of accessibility guidelines from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting requires streaming services to add features for viewers with hearing and visual impairments.

The move follows the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, and is meant to bring streaming closer to the promise of equal access. In simple terms, if a film or series is coming to an OTT platform, it should not arrive empty-handed. It should come with captions for those who cannot hear well and audio descriptions for those who cannot see clearly.

The guidelines ask platforms to provide at least one accessibility feature each for hearing-impaired and visually-impaired viewers. That could be closed captions, open captions, Indian Sign Language interpretation, or audio description. The aim is to make content understandable without turning the viewing experience into a technical chore.

There is, however, a long runway. Platforms have up to thirty six months from the date of the guidelines to ensure that all newly released content carries these accessibility features. Older titles in their libraries are not under strict timelines, but companies are encouraged to add features gradually.

The rules also go beyond the show itself. User interfaces, whether on mobile apps, smart TVs or websites, must be designed to work with assistive technologies. Accessibility labels such as CC for captions, AD for audio description and ISL for sign language must be displayed clearly so viewers know what to expect before pressing play.

Some content types get a free pass. Live events, music, podcasts, and short form content like ads are exempt because of practical challenges in real time captioning and description.

OTT publishers will also need to file accessibility conformance reports. The first report is due three years from now, followed by quarterly updates. Complaints from viewers will follow a three tier system, starting with the platform itself, moving to self-regulatory bodies, and finally reaching a government monitoring committee if needed.

For the streaming industry, the message is clear. Accessibility is no longer a nice extra tucked away in settings. It is fast becoming part of the main feature, and in a country where streaming audiences run into the hundreds of millions, that could make a very big difference to who gets to enjoy the show.

I&B Ministry

I&B’s 2025 report card: Lights, camera, action — and Rs 4,334 crore

Published

2 months ago

January 1, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

NEW DELHI: If 2025 was India’s year to make waves, the ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B) was its chief surfboard maker. Prime minister Narendra Modi’s call to “create in India, create for the world” wasn’t just ministerial hot air—it triggered a tsunami of creative dealmaking that swept from Melbourne to Madrid, generating Rs 4,334 crores in potential business discussions and putting Indian creators on every continent’s radar.

The centrepiece was Waves 2025, the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit, which drew over 90 countries, 10,000 delegates, and roughly 1 lakh punters through its doors. Modi himself dropped by to glad-hand young creators, describing the event as a “wave of culture, creativity and universal connectivity”—and for once, the hyperbole wasn’t entirely unwarranted.

The summit’s CreatoSphere platform, which sounds like something from a sci-fi novel but is actually a hub for film, VFX, animation, gaming, and digital media, launched the Create in India Challenges. Season one attracted over 1 lakh entries from more than 60 countries across 33 categories. Winners weren’t just handed certificates and sent packing—they performed at Melbourne, exhibited at Tokyo Game Show, and pitched at Toronto International Film Festival. I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnav handed out gongs to 150 creators, cementing the government’s commitment to nurturing what it calls the “creative economy.”

WaveX, the startup arm, proved equally industrious. It coaxed over 200 startups into its embrace, enabled 30 to pitch to Microsoft, Amazon, and Lumikai, and somehow got two of its charges—VYGR News and VIVA Technologies—onto Shark Tank India, where they presumably dodged the usual mauling. The initiative’s KalaaSetu and BhashaSetu challenges, focused on AI-driven video generation and real-time translation respectively, attracted over 100 startups and picked ten for collaboration with government media units.

Waves Bazaar, the “craft-to-commerce” global e-marketplace, went on a roadshow between August and December, hitting 12 international events across four continents and four domestic jamborees. The numbers are eye-watering: over 9,000 B2B meetings, 10 memoranda of understanding signed, three more proposed, and the launch of creative corridors with Japan, Korea, and Australia. The ministry claims Rs 4,334 crores in potential deals—potential being the operative word, though in India’s booming content market, optimism often precedes reality by only a few quarters.

On the bricks-and-mortar front, the Indian Institute of Creative Technology opened its temporary Mumbai campus in July with Rs 391.15 crores in budgetary support. The public-private partnership with Ficci and CII has enrolled over 100 students across 18 courses, incubated eight startups, and signed memoranda with Google, Meta, Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, and WPP—a who’s who of tech giants keen to tap India’s creative reserves. A permanent 10 acre campus at Film City, Goregaon, complete with an immersive AR/VR/XR studio, is in the works.

Elsewhere, the ministry set up a Live Events Development Cell to position India’s concert economy as a growth driver. A single-window clearance system is being built on the India Cine Hub platform to expedite permissions for fire, traffic, and municipal approvals—addressing the red-tape nightmares that have long plagued event organisers. Meanwhile, an inter-ministerial committee is tackling digital piracy, that perennial thorn in the creative economy’s side.

State broadcaster Doordarshan snagged the Election Commission’s media award for voter awareness during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, presented by the president on National Voters’ Day. Community radio added 22 new stations, bringing the total to 551, with workshops and a national sammelan held during Waves to strengthen local broadcasting.

The 56th International Film Festival of India in Goa screened over 240 films from 81 countries, threw in the country’s first AI Film Festival, and staged a grand parade through Panaji that turned the event into a street-level celebration. The accompanying Waves Film Bazaar drew over 2,500 delegates from 40-plus countries and showcased 320 projects—making it one of South Asia’s largest film markets.

The Central Board of Film Certification modernised too, launching a multilingual certification module that allows multiple language versions under a single application, and mandating 50 per cent women’s participation on examining and revising committees. Digital signatures replaced wet ink, and certificates became downloadable—small victories in the fight against bureaucratic inertia.

India’s I&B ministry ended 2025 having turned content creation into something resembling an industrial policy. Whether Rs 4,334 crores in “potential” business materialises remains to be seen, but the ministry has built the infrastructure, corralled the startups, and put Indian creators on international stages. As Modi might say, the wave has been ridden. Now comes the hard part: keeping the momentum going when the cameras stop rolling.

I&B Ministry

Centre drafts OTT rules to boost access for hearing disabled

Published

3 months ago

December 12, 2025

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: The Centre has inched closer to making India’s streaming universe easier to watch, hear and enjoy for everyone. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has released draft guidelines that aim to standardise accessibility on OTT platforms, ensuring that viewers with hearing and visual impairments are no longer left out of the country’s digital entertainment boom.

Issued on 7 October and now open for public consultation, the draft rules arrive with constitutional and global backing. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan told the Rajya Sabha that the framework draws from Article 14, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. It also mirrors the Code of Ethics under the IT Rules, 2021.

At the heart of the proposal is a two-phase rollout of mandatory accessibility tools such as same-language closed captions and audio descriptions. The ministry said penalties and enforcement steps will be shaped after the consultation, but compliance will be tracked through progressive targets for OTT content libraries.

Parliament was also reminded that the broadcast sector has walked this path before. In 2019, the government notified accessibility standards for television programming, starting with Prasar Bharati and eventually extending them to private broadcasters.

With OTT viewership climbing across urban and small-town India, the draft rules attempt to bring streaming giants in step with a wider vision of inclusive media. The government hopes the move will help millions of Indians with disabilities press play without barriers.