New Delhi: The Indian government revealed on Monday that it will revisit the Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill and issue a revised draft following feedback from online content creators. Concerns about certain provisions in the initial draft prompted this decision.
The original draft, unveiled in November last year, sought to align online content creators with OTT platforms and digital news broadcasters under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s Content and Advertisement Code. This move drew criticism from media organizations such as DigiPub and the Editors Guild of India, who argued that there was insufficient consultation with digital media groups and civil society before advancing the draft.
Opposition Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also criticized the bill, alleging that it aimed to “gag” digital media, social media, and independent creators.
In response, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting confirmed that the bill is still under review and that it will extend the consultation period until October 15. A revised draft will be released after these discussions.
The bill aims to regulate streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+Hotstar as OTT broadcasting platforms. The ministry emphasized its commitment to refining the draft through thorough stakeholder engagement, as noted in a recent post on X (formerly Twitter).
