Prakash Javadekar says government to issue OTT guidelines soon

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New Delhi: The government will soon issue guidelines for regulation of OTT (over the top) platforms that will address issues such as sensitive content, the Rajya Sabha was informed on February 9.

Replying to a Zero Hour mention, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said a lot of suggestions and complaints on the regulation of OTTs have been received.

“Guidelines and direction are almost ready. It will be soon implemented,” he said in his brief submission. Earlier, raising the issue through a Zero Hour mention, Mahesh Poddar of the BJP said the content and language on OTT platforms was discriminatory and offensive.

Objectional content on OTT platforms includes sexual discrimination and abusive language, he said adding that the government should, without delay, implement the Internet regulations.

There are at least 40 OTT platforms, including global ones such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ Hotstar (Disney Plus),and hundreds of news content websites.

“It is an important issue. We get a lot of suggestions and complaints. Guidelines and directions are almost ready. It will be soon implemented,” Javadekar said.