Broadcasters-government relations test new IBDF president Kevin Vaz

New Delhi: The Indian broadcast industry is eager to see how JioStar CEO Kevin Vaz, the new president of the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF), will approach policy matters. 

A key challenge for Vaz will be to foster a more collaborative relationship between the industry and the government.

The relationship between the two has been strained in recent years. A number of issues, including the scrapped Draft Broadcast Bill, the attempt to regulate OTT content, and the move to bring the broadcast industry under the Department of Telecommunications, have created friction.

Broadcasters feel that the government is prioritising its own interests, such as content censorship and sponsorship of events like WAVES, at a time when the industry has more pressing issues.

"The government seems to have deviated from its role as a facilitator of the industry's growth," said an industry veteran. "Instead, it appears more focused on holding media summits and generating revenue for itself. As if the e-auctions of DD Freedish slots weren't enough competition for private players, the govt allowed Prasar Bharati to launch its own OTT platform. Now the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is investing its energy and resources in its upcoming event WAVES."

Earlier this month, BestMediaInfo.com wrote that the Indian industry is showing a ‘lukewarm’ response so far towards the WAVES despite excitement shown by international organisations including big tech firms.

The indifferent attitude of the Indian industry to the WAVES event highlights the deep divide between policymakers and broadcasters. 

This is not a new issue. For over five years, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) clashed with broadcasters under the chairmanship of RS Sharma and Secretary SK Gupta on price regulations of TV channels.

However, a change in leadership at TRAI, with PD Vaghela and V Raghunandan taking over as chairman and secretary, respectively, helped to improve relations. 

Vaghela's fresh approach brought the broadcast industry to the table to resolve outstanding issues and a more amicable new tariff order acceptable to both sides – broadcasters and DPOs – was released.

"There's a general sense of resistance from all sides on almost every policy issue," said the industry veteran. "The latest example is the notification on Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) and the recent advisory regarding the depiction of drug consumption in content on curated content platforms are examples of govt-industry standoff."

"The government wants to make India a global content hub, but it can't do this alone," said a former CEO of a broadcast network. "It should focus on creating policies that will help the industry achieve its full potential. Holding events such as WAVES is a full-fledged involvement and the govt should be mindful of this."

For the broadcast industry to thrive, Vaz will need to establish a strong working relationship with the government. 

The former CEO believes that both sides need to make an effort to build trust.

"The government needs to understand that the entertainment segment is different from the news media, which governments traditionally focus on regulating," the former CEO said.

“The government needs to understand that the broadcast and OTT industry contributes more than 40% to the Indian media and entertainment sector’s revenue. This means the need of the hour is to provide stable licensing and regulatory regimes to encourage investors to invest in these two segments,” the former CEO added. "The M&E sector is a major job creator, and the booming creative economy is a prime example. The government should be helping this sector grow, not hindering it with excessive regulation."