NEW DELHI: India’s broadcast regulator has ordered all distribution platform operators (DPOs) — including DTH, cable (MSOs), headend in the sky (Hits) and IPTV players — to file performance monitoring reports every month and quarter, in a bid to sharpen oversight of the sector.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), acting under section 12 of its 1997 Act, said the move was aimed at ensuring compliance, protecting consumer interests and fostering orderly growth of the TV distribution industry.
Until now, only DTH firms were required to furnish quarterly reports, a rule dating back to 2008 and expanded in 2019 to cover MSOs and Hits) operators. The new order updates formats to reflect changes in tariff, interconnection and quality-of-service rules.
From now, operators must file monthly reports within ten days of month-end, and quarterly reports within 15 days of each quarter’s close. Smaller DPOs with fewer than 30,000 subscribers may skip the quarterly filing.
The order marks another tightening of regulatory screws on a sector under pressure from both rising consumer expectations and surging competition from streaming platforms.
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