E-Paper
I&B ministry may ease norms for live broadcasts by non-news channels
The ministry on Thursday released its draft policy guidelines for uplinking and downlinking TV channels.
The Information and Broadcasting ministry is planning to simplify the norms related to live broadcasts for general entertainment TV channels that may now have to only register online than seek prior permission.
The ministry on Thursday released its draft policy guidelines for uplinking and downlinking TV channels.
According to the new guidelines, general entertainment channels will also be able to carry live broadcasts by registering at the Broadcast Sewa online portal of the ministry.
“The idea is to simplify the process. Earlier, non-news TV channels had to seek prior permission of the ministry to make live broadcasts. These included religious and sports channels,” a senior official said.
However, the aim is to make the functioning of these channels easier under the government’s ease of doing business drive, the official added. Therefore we have only kept the requirement of registering in the portal for holding live telecasts, the official said.
Among other things, the new draft guidelines also propose no increase in annual permission fees. The ministry had released uplinking and downlinking guidelines in 2011. It has sought responses from stakeholders on the draft suggestions.
