30 mins of ‘public service', 'national interest’ content must for TV channels

It is now mandatory for television channels, especially entertainment channels, to telecast content related to “public service and national interest.” The guidelines are effective from November 9, but channels will get some time to conceptualise and create such content, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) officials have said.

The rule is part of the Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Television Channels in India, 2022, which the Centre has approved. The new relaxed guidelines for compliance for television channels are an attempt to pitch India as an uplinking hub. They will allow limited-liability partnerships and facilitate the uplinking of foreign channels from Indian teleports to telecast content in countries covered by the satellite footprint.

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Television channels of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal may now uplink from India instead of Singapore, the preferred uplinking hub for channels beamed in the subcontinent. Currently, of the 897 channels registered with the MIB, only 30 are uplinked from India, officials said.

“Requirement for seeking permission for live telecast of events has been done away with. Only prior registration of events to be telecast live would be necessary,” Sanjiv Shankar, Joint Secretary (Broadcasting) told the media in Delhi on Thursday.

Eight themes

Under the new guidelines, at least 30 minutes must be given every day to telecast content pertaining to “public service and national interest.” The MIB has given eight themes to channels for the creation of such content. According to the government, the rationale behind the move is that “airwaves/frequencies are public property and need to be used in the best interests of society.”

These eight themes include: “(i) education and spread of literacy; (ii) agriculture and rural development; (iii) health and family welfare; (iv) science and technology; (v) welfare of women; (vi) welfare of the weaker sections of the society; (vii) protection of environment and of cultural heritage; and (viii) national integration.”

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Apurva Chandra, I&B Secretary, said the ministry will also issue an advisory on the time slot for the telecast of such content and the implementation date after consulting broadcasters and stakeholders. Once the rules are implemented, the MIB will monitor the channels for such content, he said. If a channel is found to be non-compliant, the ministry will seek an explanation.

The guideline applies to all channels except those mentioned as exempt, officials said. “The channels may…appropriately modulate their content to fulfil the obligation…except where it may not be feasible, such as in the case of sports channels, etc.,” the guidelines say. Officials said wildlife channels and foreign channels may also be exempted from the rules.

Relaxed rules

Among other conditions, TV channels uplinking on frequency bands other than C-band must encrypt their signals. For the uplinking and downlinking of a satellite TV channel, the application now “shall be subject to clearance and approval by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and wherever considered necessary, of other authorities,” the new guidelines stated.

Shankar said prior permission for the change of language or conversion of mode of transmission from Standard Definition to High Definition or vice versa would not be required either. The channel will only have to inform the ministry about the changes. The new guidelines also allow news agencies to get permission for five years against the current one year.

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Penalty clauses have also been rationalised. Separate penalties have been proposed for different types of contraventions instead of the uniform penalty at present, officials said.

The guidelines were first issued in 2005 and revised in 2011. The current revision has taken place after 11 years after considering technological advances in this period.

(With agency inputs)