OTT platforms and online news portals come under the regulation of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

The government of India has issued an order to bring online news websites and digital content providers under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The ministry will also regulate online audio-visual programmes and current affairs content, according to the gazette notification issued by President Ram Nath Kovind on November 10.

This means that over-the-top (OTT) media services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hotstar will now be regulated by the Union ministry headed by Prakash Javadekar. 

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to regulate content in OTT platforms led to the Supreme Court seeking a response from the central government. The PIL had highlighted the fact that the content available on OTT platforms is not subject to any filter or screening process. 

While the Press Council of India takes care of print media, and the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) monitors the news channels, the Advertising Standards Council of India and Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) regulate advertisements and films, respectively.

Notably, a self-regulation code signed by video streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, and 12 others ran into trouble with the government during the last week of October, as the government insisted on producing a clear list of guidelines for restricting or prohibiting content.

We reached out to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video,  ZEE5, and Alt Balaji seeking a response but they all declined to comment at the moment.