New Delhi (NVI): The Central Government today issued an order, bringing digital or online Media, films and audio-visual programmes, news and current affairs content under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
In a notification issued on November 9 declaring that the President has signed the order to include online films, digital news and current affairs content under the purview of the I&B Ministry headed by Union minister Prakash Javadekar.
The new notification means that online curated content providers (OCCPs) such as digital news portals and video streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hotstar will now come under the I&B ministry.
However, user generated content, like what is streamed on YouTube or Facebook, will continue to remain under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
So far, digital media platforms were under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) while other media such as print, television and radio were under the I&B ministry.
But the I&B ministry had been seeking control of digital platforms due to lack of clarity over regulations on content.
With this, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has the power to regulate policies related to news, audio, visual contents and films available on online platforms.
-CHK
