New Broadcasting Bill to Redefine Digital News Broadcasters
In a significant move, the latest draft of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2024, will categorize social media participants who routinely upload videos, create podcasts, or write about current affairs online as ‘digital news broadcasters,’ according to a report by the Hindustan Times.
The second draft of this bill, reviewed by the paper, builds on the initial version released in November 2023. The government’s aim is to consolidate all broadcasting regulations under a single comprehensive law.
The report highlights ongoing concerns since the bill’s inception about whether independent online news content creators, who are not tied to traditional or registered digital media, should adhere to the same regulations as streaming platforms, termed ‘OTT broadcasting services.’ The current version appears to address these concerns by grouping all news producers under the new category of ‘digital news broadcasters.’
The government clarifies in this draft that a ‘professional’ includes anyone engaged in an occupation or vocation, and defines a ‘systematic activity’ as any structured or organized endeavor that involves planning, method, continuity, or persistence.
Significantly, the new version broadens the definition of ‘news and current affairs programmes’ to include text, alongside audio, visual, audio-visual content, signs, signals, writing, and images transmitted directly or via a broadcasting network.
This expansion incorporates text into the definitions of both programmes and broadcasting.
Before becoming law, the bill must pass through the Union Cabinet and be presented to Parliament.
The previous version of the bill faced criticism, notably from the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI), which argued it would grant the Union government excessive power to regulate India’s news and entertainment sectors. They warned it could severely impact free press, free speech, and creative freedom in the country.
These new adjustments follow a Lok Sabha election dubbed India’s first “YouTube elections,” where independent news outlets on YouTube played a pivotal role in reporting and shaping public opinion amidst mainstream media’s pro-government stance.
The revised bill also introduces changes affecting online advertising and sets new obligations for intermediaries, falling under guidelines the government may establish with its newly granted powers. Additionally, OTT broadcasting services now encompass not only platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video but also social media content creators, which includes journalists.
