National Broadcast Policy must not hurt creative freedom: Industry tells TRAI
The National Broadcast Policy, proposed by the government, has evoked several concerns with stakeholders pressing for creative freedom and a level playing field for all. At the open house discussion held on Wednesday by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on the proposed broadcast policy, over 100 participants representing broadcasters, cable operators, OTT, DTH, broadband, content producers and many more expressed their worries.
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Seeking a level playing field for all stakeholders, Siddharth Jain, Secretary, IBDF, urged TRAI to ensure that there is freedom for content creators and that no broadcaster must be put under any kind of pressure.
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“One of the issues is how do we promote content produced in India. I urge you to have forbearance not just on the economic side but also on the content creation side. You’ll be curbing freedom of speech and expression if you start saying a certain percentage should be Indian actors etc. Do not do that,” he said at the discussion. During the discussion, which was held in the presence of TRAI Chairman AK Lahoti and TRAI Secretary V Raghunandan, Jain also pointed out one of the proposals in the policy that requires running Doordarshan content on other platforms. According to Jain, there should be no barriers in the competition. “As far as Doordarshan is concerned, we need to understand what the aim of the public broadcaster is. Are we saying the content that runs on Doordarshan should run on other platforms? I would beg to differ. Let’s take a situation where DD channels were not carried by force by the order of the government of India on the cable or DTH networks and DD had to charge a price like all broadcasters, how many people would pay to watch Doordarshan? That’s the question we need to ask before we frame the policy.” “If you (TRAI) start creating barriers to competition by saying this service has to be carried, then you (TRAI) yourself are not providing a level playing field,” Jain added. Echoing the sentiment, Nitin Tej Ahuja, CEO, Producers Guild of India, said there was a need to respect the industry along with providing content freedom without any threats of FIRs being filed somewhere. “Good content does not necessarily mean morally complying content. Look at Parasite, which won an Oscar for Best Film or Squid Game, which was the number-one show in India too. These were not necessarily advertisements for how great South Korean culture is or the society,” he said, while seeking similar freedom for content in India. “It is not a frivolous industry but a very important one in terms of employment and the money it generates,” he said. Other stakeholders also expressed the need for a safe space for content creators saying there is a need to provide an enabling environment for creators to push the boundaries of art and that is what the world respects. According to Ravi Gandhi, President & Chief of Public Policy and Regulatory at Jio, the regulator should suggest to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) “how to ensure that we attract private investment into the sector and how to protect the investments already made”. He said India cannot lose the cable industry, which is providing jobs to thousands. Noting that the number of cable TV subscribers is declining, he said the policy should ensure a level playing field for all and that should be conveyed to the ministry by TRAI. Some experts opined that people have cut the cord and are not watching cable due to the quality of content. They urged for an enabling environment for creators to push boundaries of art and to ensure high-quality content is supported. Making his submission, Gururaja Rao, Legal Counsel, Culver Max Entertainment Pvt Ltd (Sony Pictures) urged TRAI to ensure that the policy addresses the long-standing need of creating sustainable public private partnership model in the media and entertainment industry. “It should also provide level playing opportunities between Prasar Bharati and private broadcasters. There is a need to bring more transparency aligned with the goals for which Prasar Bharati is established instead of just focusing on revenue maximisation. “So, the policy should aim to enable PB to fulfil its objectives by reforming its governance structure and establishing the review process,” he said.
Tags : National Broadcast Policy Trai Ibdf