Ministry of I&B commits to finalising OTT accessibility guidelines in 3 months, Delhi HC records undertaking
Petitioners urged inclusion of persons with disabilities in consultations as MIB finalises guidelines to make streaming content more inclusive.
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The Delhi High Court on Thursday recorded an undertaking from the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to finalise accessibility guidelines for hearing and visually impaired users on OTT platforms within the next three months, Bar and Bench reported.
The move follows a petition filed by visually impaired individuals highlighting the lack of disabled-friendly features in recently released Bollywood movies on streaming services.
During the hearing, Central Government Standing Counsel Sandeep Mahapatra informed the court that the Ministry has published draft guidelines on its official website and invited comments from stakeholders and the public.
The draft is open for feedback until October 22, 2025.
Justice Sachin Datta disposed of the petition based on MIB’s assurance, stating that no further directions were required. The court noted that the Ministry would consider petitioner suggestions before finalising the guidelines.
Advocate Rahul Bajaj, representing the petitioners, raised concerns that the draft had largely consulted industry representatives rather than persons with disabilities and urged the inclusion of all stakeholders in the process.
The draft guidelines, titled “Guidelines for Accessibility of Content on Platforms of Publishers of Online Curated Content (OTT Platforms) for Persons with Hearing and Visual Impairment”, propose several measures to make streaming content more inclusive.
These include:
- Providing audio descriptions in a concise and comprehensible format without disrupting the original content.
- Ensuring that all new content within six months carries at least one accessibility feature for hearing- or visually-impaired users, such as Closed/Open Captioning (CC/OC), Audio Descriptors (AD), or Indian Sign Language (ISL).
- Exempting live or deferred live events, audio-only content like podcasts or music, and short-form content such as advertisements.
The court also granted the petitioners the liberty to submit a formal response to the draft guidelines and seek legal recourse if grievances persist after finalisation.
This development underscores the growing push to make India’s digital entertainment ecosystem inclusive, ensuring that streaming platforms provide meaningful accessibility for all users, particularly those with disabilities.
