News Update

I&B Secretary Urges OTT Players to Respect Country’s Culture in Content Creation: OTT Content Debate

• ByStartupStory     |    April 14, 2023

The Secretary of Information and Broadcasting, Apurva Chandra, stated that the government’s ‘soft-touch’ regulatory approach towards the OTT streaming space has resulted in some content that may be considered ‘undesirable’. Chandra addressed OTT players at an event in Mumbai, urging them to be mindful of the concerns and cultural sensitivities of the country when creating content.

Apurva Chandra, the Secretary of Information and Broadcasting, has expressed concerns that the government’s ‘soft-touch’ regulations on the OTT streaming space may have resulted in some undesirable content. Chandra emphasized the need for the industry to be mindful of the concerns and culture of the country. He further explained that the government’s approach focuses on self-regulation of content, with complaints being addressed at multiple levels, including the content producer, industry body, and the I&B Ministry.

Chandra also revealed that the Centre is currently working on a National Broadcasting Policy that will encompass the OTT space, as the current broadcasting ecosystem is fragmented with conflicting interests among media broadcasters and OTT players. He emphasized the need for a new policy due to the different mechanisms, regulations, and tariffs in the Indian broadcast arena.

Chandra also revealed that the government is taking steps to revamp the Cinematograph Act, which may include provisions to empower the Centre to block websites that host pirated content. In addition, Chandra highlighted the immense potential of the homegrown Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comic (AVGC) sector for content creation. He further mentioned that the I&B Ministry has accepted the recommendations of the AVGC Task Force report and intends to raise the matter at the Cabinet level in the near future.

The recent comments by the Secretary of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), Apurva Chandra, come amidst growing concerns about vulgarity and obscenity on OTT platforms. Chandra’s remarks followed actor Salman Khan’s call for censorship of OTT content, expressing concerns about the impact of such content on young viewers. These comments have fueled the ongoing debate about obscenity and vulgarity on OTT platforms, with I&B Minister Anurag Thakur also warning against the use of abusive language and vulgarity in OTT content.

From a regulatory perspective, multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code, IT Act, 2000, and IT Rules, 2021 already prohibit the transmission, distribution, circulation, and exhibition of obscene materials. These rules also place responsibility on intermediaries and platforms to ensure that no such content is hosted knowingly.

Despite the self-regulatory approach adopted by the Centre towards OTT platforms in India, there have been several instances of run-ins between streaming sites and the authorities. For example, the Delhi High Court recently took notice of a web series called ‘College Romance’ on Sony Liv, deeming it as “obscene, lascivious, and profane”. Similarly, in 2021, a plea was filed in the Supreme Court seeking a ban on the web series ‘Mirzapur’ on Amazon Prime Video, alleging obscenity and derogatory depiction of women, but the petition was ultimately dismissed.

The Indian OTT streaming market is projected to grow significantly, with estimates suggesting it could reach $12.5 billion by 2030. Major players in the homegrown OTT space include Disney+Hotstar, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Voot, Zee5, and others.

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