An Advisory On The State Of State Broadcasting Activities

An advisory issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (“MIB”) dated October 21, 2022 (“Advisory”), has been making waves and stirring up the airwaves. The Advisory requests the ministries of the Central Government, as well as the Governments of all State and Union Territories to: (i) not enter into the business of broadcasting or the distribution of broadcasting activities (including for educational content), in the future; (ii) now perform all broadcasting activities through the public broadcaster (namely Prasar Bharati), in the event that such entities are already broadcasting any content; and (iii) extricate themselves from continuing to perform distribution activities, in the event that they are already engaged in such activities. These entities must comply with the actions listed in sub-section (ii) and (iii) above by or before December 31, 2023. This Advisory stands to impact the operations and activities of several governmental ministries and the