MIB Has Redressed All 265 Grievances Received Against OTT Content: Anurag Thakur

SUMMARY

The ministry has received 265 grievances against over-the-top (OTT) content under IT rules, 2021

The IT Rules, 2021, provide for a Code of Ethics to be followed by the publishers of online curated content

The government has introduced a three-level grievance redressal mechanism

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has redressed 265 grievances against over-the-top (OTT) content under IT rules, 2021, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur informed Rajya Sabha.

“Since the notification of the Rules, the ministry has received 265 grievances, which have been addressed in accordance with the laid down procedure,” the minister said.

The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, provide for a Code of Ethics to be followed by the publishers of online curated
content.

“Since the matter relates to digital platforms, therefore, a conscious decision was taken that issues relating to digital media and OTT and other creative programmes on Internet shall be administered by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting but the overall architecture shall be under the Information Technology Act, which governs digital platforms,” Ministry of Electronics and IT had said in a statement at the time of introducing the rules.

The government also introduced a three-level grievance redressal mechanism to address grievances relating to the violation of the Code under the rule notified in February 2021.

The three-tier grievance redressal mechanism is as follows: Level I: A self-regulation by broadcasters; Level II: Self-regulation by the self-regulating bodies of the broadcasters; and Level III: Oversight mechanism by the Central Government.

Industry association IAMAI has also set up the Digital Publishers Content Grievances Council (DPCGC) to help OTT platforms address unresolved consumer grievances and ensure compliance with the latest guidelines for OTT players.

Under the rules, OTT platforms have to self-classify the content into five age-based categories – U (Universal), U/A 7+ (years), U/A 13+, U/A 16+, and A (Adult).

While speaking at a summit last year, the minister said that India’s OTT market was set to grow at 21% annually to touch $2 Bn by 2024.

The Indian OTT segment is dominated by players such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Jio TV, ALTBalaji, MX Player, SonyLiv, Disney+ Hotstar, and Zee5, among others.