1. INTRODUCTION
On October 30, 2018, the Supreme Court of India (the
"Supreme Court") in Star India
Private Limited v Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion
& Ors.,1 upheld the validity of the
Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Interconnection
(Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2017 (the
"Regulations") and the Telecommunication
(Broadcasting and Cable) Services (Eighth) (Addressable Systems)
Tariff Order, 2017 (the "Tariff Order")
and dismissed an appeal by Star India Private Limited
("Star India") against the Madras High
Court judgement upholding the same.
The Regulations and the Tariff Order primarily dealt with the
manner in which broadcasters and distributors could package, market
and sell television channel subscriptions to end consumers. This
news alert highlights the relevant aspects of the Regulations and
the Tariff Order which were under challenge, the basis on which the
Supreme Court upheld their validity and analyses its impact