Several entities representing members of the film, television and streaming-video industries criticised the policy in comments to the telecom regulator, saying it was beyond Trai s remit and would harm free speech
The Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) has requested a meeting with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and IT after being excluded from deliberations on a report on the regulation of cable television in India. The IBDF expressed concerns about the report s inaccuracies, misinterpretations of data, and omissions of crucial information.
The broadcast sector has faced challenges since late 2022 that can be attributed to global macroeconomic factors like inflation and supply chain disruptions. Some traditional advertisers, such as startups, auto companies, and online betting platforms, reduced TV advertising, creating a temporary gap. However, during the current festive season, early signs of recovery are evident compared to last year, says K Madhavan, president of IBDF and Disney Star chief.
According to the performance indicator report of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the total active subscriber base of the four pay DTH operators – Tata Play, Dish TV, Airtel Digital TV and Sun Direct – increased 0.38% quarter-on-quarter to 65.50 million.
The Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) reported a 7% viewership growth in pay-TV homes, with 5.8 million households transitioning from free-to-air to pay-TV. This marks a reversal of the trend of pay-TV consumers switching to DD Free Dish. The IBDF said viewers in India are dedicating an additional 53 minutes per week to watching TV in 2023 compared to the previous year