AIDCF criticises Prasar Bharati for onboarding private TV channels for its OTT; writes to MIB

The All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) has written to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting criticising Prasar Bharati for inviting private sector satellite TV channels to onboard its upcoming OTT platform.

The industry body for multiple system operators (MSOs), which has member companies including DEN Network, Hathway, and Hinduja Global Solutions, has said that the move is against its own uplinking and downlinking guidelines.

“Prasar Bharati vide its letter dated August 5, 2024, has issued a NIA (Notice Inviting Application) to all the linear satellite TV channels for on-boarding on their OTT platform. The above NIA by Prasar Bharati is promoting broadcasters to violate clause 11(3) (f) of the Uplinking & Downlinking guidelines dated November 9, 2022 and its subsequent amendment dated March 24, 2023,” the AIDCF said in the letter.

According to an ET report, the letter was addressed to Secretary Sanjay Jaju and urged the Ministry to provide clear directions to broadcasters to provide satellite TV channels only to licensed service providers including MSOs, DTH services, internet protocol television providers and headend in the sky operators.

The AIDCF also accused the broadcasters of misinterpreting existing regulations by stating that national broadcaster Prasar Bharati was outside the purview of regulator TRAI regulations and the federal law, Cable TV Act.

AIDCF alleged that as per law satellite TV channels cannot be part of Prasar Bharati’s proposed OTT platform and can only provide their channels’ signals to registered DPOs.

It further highlighted that many streaming applications were mushrooming due to absence of any regulation or guidelines and will, thus, escape any regulatory vigilance as they were neither registered with MIB nor are reporting their server details/subscriber details to the government.

In its Content Sourcing Policy, released on August 9, the pubcaster said, "Prasar Bharati may explore the possibilities of on-boarding the Linear Satellite Channels and FAST Channel (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) for the OTT Platform. The initial period of such on-boarding will be One year and Prasar Bharati reserves the right to modify It based on the learning and market feedback."

Read more: Exclusive: Prasar Bharati releases Content Sourcing Policy; reveals policies for upcoming OTT

AIDCF also noted that if private broadcasters were allowed to join Prasar Bharati’s upcoming OTT platform it would kill the distribution platform operators completely and urged the Ministry to direct the pubcaster to withdraw the office memo on onboarding satellite TV channels.