AVIA commentary news

Censorship back in the days of single-channel TV was all about providing ‘clean’ entertainment on a mass platform rather than curbing a difference of opinion or catering to the powers-that-be. You’d imagine a 2021 version of that old formula would continue work for the common man.

When normal media activity came to a halt, a new generation of entrepreneurs and creatives took over, but the opportunities of digital growth could be destroyed by thoughtless regulation.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has advised streaming services to “look at” the Broadcast Content Complaints Committee (BCCC) and the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) for structuring their content regulation framework, in a letter obtained by MediaNama following a RTI request.

The seismic shift to digital on-demand forums has brought new hopes for diversification of high-value entertainment content. The streaming platforms that have jumped over-the-top into the media industry with a massive splash are set to smash long-held monopolies of entertainment television channels and advertising agencies. 

Fears of being brought under the government’s control have been gnawing at online content providers and news portals in the wake of the Centre’s decision to bring these platforms under the purview of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Talk about out of touch. Big Tech’s house is in shambles, shaken by scandals, and people all over the world are creating pressure to fix Silicon Valley’s lack of accountability. Yet the industry and its allies keep trying to duck the question and shift the blame.

Television channels, especially the news channels have once again been caught in a whirlpool of controversy on account of allegedly manipulating television rating point (TRP). 

It will be a busy weekend for digital media organisations and their advisors. Thanks to a late Friday night clarification by the Ministry of Commerce on foreign direct investment in news and current affairs via digital media.

In January 2020, broadcasters approached the Bombay High Court after the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) notified an amended New Regulatory Framework which includes a New Tariff Order (NTO) for the sector. 

Independent, self-regulatory authority that oversees news channels needs statutory rights

Experts divided over regulation of OTT content in India - As calls for regulating content showed on the over-the-top OTT platforms grow stronger and with the government also reportedly examining regulations in foreign countries.

When the centre issued a notification earlier this month about the regulation of content on OTT platforms, alarms were raised – both by lovers of art and patrons of free speech – over the censorship of creative expression.

Talk about out of touch. Big Tech’s house is in shambles, shaken by scandals, and people all over the world are creating pressure to fix Silicon Valley’s lack of accountability.

A huge regulatory structure just to monitor content and process the violations seem neither optimal nor prudent.

While the question of freedom of expression in India needs a nuanced approach, pre-censorship is arbitrary and chilling.

Over the past few months, the Indian audiences have witnessed a consistent decline in the quality of TV news, culminating in the TRP scam that has made several questions the news media and the role of the broadcasters, advertisers, as well as the government, and its regulator, in creating a credible television rating system. 

The clarification makes no distinction between digital media entities that are purely engaged in ‘news’ as compared to entities, including OTT players, which deal in ‘social’ and ‘entertainment content’ in addition to ‘news’ content.

The answers have more to do with the structure of economic incentives and disincentives and less with how India measures TV audiences.