In a move that will have a far-reaching impact, the Union government has brought Over The Top (OTT) platforms, or video streaming service providers under the ambit of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
The MIB has found a vast swathe of unregulated content, namely news online and Over the top (OTT) platforms which had escaped any architecture of regulation.
The print was regulated by the Press Council of India and Television, both News and Entertainment were being regulated by the Cable Networks Regulation Act (2005).
However, the content on online, the Government felt, fell into a black hole with no oversight.
Q. What are OTT Media?
An over-the-top (OTT) media service is a streaming media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet.
OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms, the companies that traditionally act as a controller or distributor of such content.
The term is most synonymous with subscription-based video-on-demand (SVoD) services that offer access to film and television content.
They are typically accessed via websites on personal computers, as well as via apps on mobile devices (such as smartphones and tablets), digital media players, or televisions with integrated Smart TV platforms.
Q. Why is there a need for regulating OTT?
Currently, there is no law or autonomous body governing digital content. The recent move will give the government control over OTT platforms, which were unregulated till now.
From time to time, the government had indicated the necessity to monitor these platforms.
In October 2019, the government had indicated that it will issue the “negative” list of don’ts for the video streaming services like Netflix and Hotstar.
It also wanted the platforms to come up with a self-regulatory body on the lines of the News Broadcasting Standards Authority.
Q. What about Self-regulation?
Anticipating the government’s intervention, in January 2019, video streaming services had signed a self-regulatory code that laid down a set of guiding principles for content on these platforms.
The code adopted by the OTTs prohibited five types of content:
Content that deliberately and maliciously disrespects the national emblem or national flag,
Any visual or storyline that promotes child pornography
Any content that “maliciously” intends to outrage religious sentiments
Content that “deliberately and maliciously” promotes or encourages terrorism and
Any content that has been banned for exhibition or distribution by law or court
The government had refused to support this code.
Q. What lies ahead?
The government had been giving enough hints from time to time that it wanted to regulate digital media but the exact nature of the regulation it wanted to bring was not clear.
The government considers digital media and digital aggregators in the same breath but they are different things.
It is unclear whether it is looking at licensing or entry barriers, or any other curbs in digital media.