Harit Nagpal calls for uniform regulations or forbearance for traditional distribution platforms

New Delhi: Harit Nagpal, CEO of Tata Play, emphasised the need for a uniform licensing regime and fair regulatory compliance for all players, including OTT and DD Freedish, during a consultation roundtable on July 13 between the I&B Ministry and M&E industry representatives. 

Stating the DTH operators’ concerns, Nagpal underscored that while DTH operators face rigorous regulations, OTT platforms operate without such frameworks. “The DTH industry suggested either extending the same regulatory framework to all or introducing forbearance for traditional distribution platforms,” he said.

The meeting was chaired by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology.

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting held an industry stakeholder consultation roundtable meeting, chaired by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India. 

The meeting, part of the Curtain Raiser event for the inaugural World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), gathered insights on current challenges and regulatory issues faced by the entertainment and media industry to shape discussions at WAVES-2024. 

Nagpal further emphasised that DTH has lost 3.3 million users over the past three years due to these challenges, underscoring that while DTH operators face rigorous regulations, OTT platforms operate without any framework.

Additionally, the DTH industry urged government support to alleviate the tax burden on the DTH sector and recommended eliminating DTH license fees to ensure parity

Putting forth the broadcast industry’s concerns, Nagpal pointed at Prasar Bharti’s role in the private sector, with DD Freedish carrying channels from private broadcasters. Nagpal said that DD Freedish was introduced as a public broadcaster to disseminate quality content. He stated that private broadcasters leverage higher advertisement revenue in order to capitalise on the extensive reach of DD Freedish. 

“It is unfair for subscribers of other DPOs to pay for the same content that can be enjoyed for free by subscribers of DD Freedish,” added Nagpal.

Nagpal concluded by suggesting Prasar Bharti restrict itself to DD channels to educate the masses.

During the same roundtable, the cable industry raised concern over advertisement ticker on paid cable channels. “The advertisement ticker takes up most of the space on television screens, which disrupts the viewing experience for paying customers. Customers who pay for cable services expect an uninterrupted experience, similar to that of premium, ad-free streaming services. From a regulatory perspective, there is a need to balance consumer protection with broadcasters' revenue models. Regulators might establish guidelines on ad placement to ensure a premium, less interrupted experience for viewers,” stated the representative of the cable operators. 
    
The cable TV industry has also raised objections to the advertising time on pay TV channels. “The industry urges that the broadcaster should take into account the extent to which increasing the number of advertisements shown will cause viewers to switch off or switch channels,” the representative said.