Trai is planning to issue a consultation paper on regulating OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon, etc.
A senior official from TRAI said, “Carriage of TV programming has been licensed out to registered broadcasters who are then allowed to give the content to cable operators or satellite players, under a licensing framework. If a third party, like an app, is showing the same channels without paying carriage charges and license fee, it creates disparity. Either both should be under the ambit of the license, or both should be exempted.”
In a way, TRAI wants to make it uniform for all the players in the broadcasting industry. So far, those who subscribe to a DTH or cable operator fall under the regulations and all the stakeholders (consumers, DTH operator, and broadcaster) have to pay taxes and service charges according to the rules. In comparison, the OTT apps don’t have to pay any such charges or taxes. This, in turn, makes it financially easier for these players and no government agency can regulate the pricing structures as well as the content.
Regulations for OTT soon
