Revised TV, radio rules ease some industry concerns but leave OTT, sports uplinking issues unresolved

Mumbai: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s revised draft rules for television, radio and associated services have addressed some industry concerns but leave unresolved questions over the treatment of over-the-top (OTT), free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) and other open-internet services, media executives said on condition of anonymity. The ministry has invited comments on the draft by October 2, with broadcasters discussing their response.

The draft Telecommunications (Television, Radio and Associated Services) Rules, 2026, said linear programming is a fixed, time-bound sequence selected by an authorised entity. It also defines IPTV as operating over a “closed and managed network”, helping distinguish it from open-internet services. However, “terrestrial transmission medium” continues to include the internet, with no express exclusion for OTT, FAST or other direct-to-consumer open-internet services, one of the executives said. The wider OTT carve-out therefore remains unresolved, he added.

The revised rules retained a five-breach threshold for renewal of authorisation, although only breaches for which an entity has been adjudicated liable will count. The industry is also examining the continued linkage between telecom authorisation and compliance with the Programme and Advertising Codes, including the possibility that adjudicated violations could affect renewal, another executive said.

A graded civil-penalty framework has been introduced under Schedule 4. The industry is considering seeking safeguards to ensure that content and advertising matters don’t attract telecom-scale penalties or disproportionate authorisation consequences. It is also examining provisions applying the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) Act and Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, to prevent overlapping regulatory consequences.

Some concerns have been addressed. The express reference to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, as a general authorisation condition has been removed. The ₹10,000 fee for a change of satellite has also been dropped, although the application and fee for a change of teleport remain.

Temporary live uplinking for sports events remains a key concern, said a TV sports executive.

The revised draft contains provisions covering registration, amendments, additional fees for late modifications and civil penalties for non-registration of live events.Broadcasters are questioning the need for such penalties, particularly in light of the ministry’s earlier position that temporary live uplinking under the 2022 Uplinking/Downlinking Guidelines was based on online intimation.

The industry is examining whether approval requirements, processing fees and penalties for late filings or amendments could add unnecessary friction to live sports broadcasting, where event schedules and other details can change at short notice. A simpler, intimation-based mechanism is therefore being considered. The broader concern is that sports broadcasting should be encouraged rather than burdened with additional approval and penalty requirements, particularly as India seeks to position itself to host major international sporting events, including the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics, said a sports broadcasting official.