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Registered MSOs drop to 818 in Sept as Ministry of I&B tightens crackdown on non-compliant operators
With over 1,068 cancellations and 114 applications rejected, the Ministry steps up enforcement under the Cable Television Networks Act.
In March 2025, 845 operators were registered. That number remained stable at 842 between April and May, before dipping again in July (821) and August (818).
As of September 30, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) reported that the number of active, registered multi-system operators (MSOs) stood at 818 (as compared to 821 in July and 818 in August). This includes operators such as Nimbus Television Pvt, Anushree Cable Network, Vortex Entertainment, and Omkar Digital Cable.
Read more: Registered MSOs drop to 821 as Ministry of I&B tightens crackdown on non-compliant operators
Meanwhile, a total of 114 MSOs applications have been cancelled/ rejected and closed by the Ministry. The list include Arshad Cable Network, Chitradurga Entertainment, City Cable Network, Cloudcast Services, Apna Digital Network and Nexus Cable & Data.
The Ministry has also revealed that 1068 MSOs registrations have been cancelled/surrendered/expired as on September 30, 2025, including the likes of Digital Cable TV Network, Tejas Doordarshan Cable Network, Bhaskar Cable Network, All Digital Networks India, Raja Rajeshwari Entertainment and Digi Cable Network(India).
The latest figures continue a downward trend in registered MSOs. In March 2025, 845 operators were registered. That number remained stable at 842 between April and May, before dipping again in July (821) and August (818).
A year ago, in August 2024, India had over 850 registered MSOs, and in 2023 the number was close to 1,000.
Read more: MSO registrations stall at 842 in May'25 as Ministry of I&B tightens grip on non-compliance
Meanwhile, cancellations have steadily risen. Between April and May, the number of cancelled/surrendered/expired registrations ticked up from 1,049 to 1,051, and in July stood at 1,060 and 1061 in August.
The decline reflects the Ministry’s tightening enforcement of regulations under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and its associated rules.
MSOs are required to:
- Comply with all provisions of the Act and conditions of their registration.
- Regularly update and share subscriber data with the Ministry.
- Conduct an annual audit of their distribution system under Regulation 15(1) of the Interconnection Regulations, 2017.
Failure to meet these obligations leads to operators being classified as ‘non-compliant’. If they fail to rectify their status or provide requisite data, the Ministry, under powers granted by Section 4(7) of the Act, cancels registrations with immediate effect.
Read more: I&B Ministry cracks down on MSOs: 1,045 found non-compliant as of March'25; only 845 registered
In March 2025, the MIB flagged 1,045 MSOs as non-compliant, citing lapses such as non-submission of subscriber details and failure to conduct audits.
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