OTT platforms finalise self-regulation implementation toolkit

In September 2020, the MIB had rejected the previous self-regulatory model proposed by 15 OTT platforms

by exchange4media Staff
Published: Feb 9, 2021 2:00 PM | 2 min read

Even as the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) is coming out with its own OTT guidelines, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has finalised its self-regulation implementation toolkit which comprises a set of guiding principles and procedures.

"We will start the verification by March and April to ensure full compliance with the code by August," IAMAI co-chair digital entertainment committee Gourav Rakshit told The Economic Times. Rakshit stated that the toolkit has taken care of the government's concerns.

The report further stated that Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, ZEE5, Voot, and SonyLIV have signed the document while MX Player and Disney+ Hotstar are expected to sign soon.

In September 2020, the MIB had refused to support the IAMAI's self-regulatory model for OTT platforms. The code supported by 15 OTT platforms had suggested a two-tier internal complaints system.

In a letter to the IAMAI, the ministry had advised it to look at the structures of BCCC and NBSA as guiding principles for developing a credible self-regulatory and grievance redressal mechanism for the OCCPs.

"The IAMAI had earlier suggested a two-tier structure as part of the self-regulatory regime, the second tier being the Digital Curated Content Complaints Council (DCCC) along with an enumeration of prohibited content. With regard to DCCC it had been proposed that the same would be chaired by a retired Judge of the Supreme Court or High Court," the ministry had said in its letter to the IAMAI.

"In the self-regulatory mechanism which has now been informed as having been constituted, it is observed that there is no classification of prohibited content, the second tier (the Advisory Panel) is constituted by the OCCP itself (as against an Independent Body like DCCP proposed earlier). Further out of 3 members of the Advisory Panel, two will be from the OCCP itself, while there will be only one independent member (who will be in a minority).

"Accordingly, the proposed self-regulatory mechanism lacks independent third-party monitoring, does not have well defined Code of Ethics, does not clearly enunciate prohibited content, and at the second-tier level, there is an issue of conflict of interest. Under the circumstances, the Ministry cannot support the self-regulatory mechanism proposed by the IAMAI."