TRAI extends deadline for stakeholder comments on draft amendment on broadcasting audits to Oct 14

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has extended the deadline for submission of comments on its draft Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Interconnection (Addressable Systems) (Seventh Amendment) Regulations, 2025.

Read more: TRAI issues draft amendment on broadcasting audits, seeks stakeholder inputs

Originally released on September 22, 2025, the draft regulations sought feedback from industry stakeholders by October 6, 2025. Following requests for additional time, TRAI has now allowed stakeholders to submit their written comments by October 14, 2025. The regulator has clarified that no further extensions will be granted.

Stakeholders can send their comments preferably in electronic form to advbcs2@trai.gov.in and jtadv-bcs@trai.gov.in. Atul Kumar Chaudhary, Secretary of TRAI, issued the notification regarding the extension.

The proposed amendments seek to bring audit cycles in line with the financial year instead of the calendar year. Under the new framework, distributors of television channels will be required to conduct annual audits of their subscriber management systems, conditional access systems, and digital rights management platforms for the preceding financial year.

The draft also retains the mandatory requirement for annual audits but introduces significant relief for smaller operators. Distributors with fewer than 30,000 active subscribers will not be compelled to conduct mandatory audits, though they are encouraged to do so voluntarily. This measure, TRAI said, has been designed to reduce compliance burdens on smaller operators who face capacity and cost constraints, while still preserving transparency in reporting.

Read more: TRAI releases fresh panel of DAS auditors to bolster broadcast compliance

In order to strengthen oversight, distributors will be required to inform broadcasters at least 30 days in advance about the audit schedule and the auditor selected. Broadcasters will be allowed to depute a representative to attend the audit process and share inputs for verification. Where discrepancies are found in audit reports, broadcasters may raise objections within 30 days of receipt, and the auditor will be bound to issue an updated report within the next 30 days. If disputes persist, broadcasters will have the option of approaching TRAI and, subject to its approval, commissioning a special audit at their own expense.

Read more: TRAI extends deadline for Digital Addressable System audit empanelment submission to Oct 10

The amendment also addresses infrastructure sharing arrangements in the sector. TRAI has proposed that separate instances of subscriber management systems, conditional access systems, or digital rights management systems must be created for each distributor that uses shared infrastructure, ensuring complete segregation of data and enabling proper reconciliation. Further, in cases of watermarking, the regulator has mandated that no more than two logos — that of the broadcaster and that of the last-mile distributor — should appear on screen, thereby reducing clutter while maintaining anti-piracy safeguards.