Govt Determined To Censor Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, Zee5, AltBalaji & Other OTTs In India

As per new reports coming in, there are discussions about several OTP platforms to be under the purview of The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry.

As of now, the OTT channels are managed by the Ministry of Information and Technology (IT).

Find out more details about the plans of the ministry right here! 

OTT Channels To Be Brought Under The Purview Of The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry. 

A top ministry official has revealed that the content streamed on several over-the-top channels (OTT) has been proposed to be brought under the purview of The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry. 

Amit Khare, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Secretary, said, “OTT being a digital platform will fall under the purview of the Ministry of IT but now we are proposing a decision that the content should fall within the purview of I&B ministry.”

As per Khare, there is an extreme requirement of convergence of various ministries considering the manner in which changes that are happening.

The lockdown phase has boosted the usage of OTT channels throughout the country. Popular online streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Zee5, ATLBalaji have all observed a major rise in the number of subscribers during this period. 

Adjusted Gross Revenue Should Be Consistent; OTT Only Media Unregulated

He also revealed that regulatory regimes in India have been developed as per the platforms and that there are no regulations for any upcoming media such as the OTT players. He added that out of the five different kinds of media viz. print, radio, TV, films, and OTT, four types have regulatory practices but OTT is unregulated.

Regarding the convergence, he said that telecom and media & entertainment should be on the same level where adjusted gross revenue (AGR) is concerned. 

While justifying the need for convergence, Khare said, “What happens to AGR in telecom has to be applicable in the M&E sector. We cannot have two different rates of AGR for the telecom sector and M&E sector for DTH providers.”

As per reports, the government is focused on effective regulation rather than only the regulation.