Union minister of information broadcasting and sports and youth affairs, Anurag Thakur on Sunday hit out at over-the-top (OTT) media platforms, that include streaming services like Netflix, Hotstar, Amazon Prime and Zee Video among others, for the “increasing obscenity and abusive language in shows” and said that the government is taking the issue seriously.
Thakur said that “abusive language in the name of creativity will not be tolerated”. “The government is serious about the complaints of increasing abusive and obscene content on OTT platforms,” he told reporters in Nagpur, Maharashtra, according to a statement issued by the ministry.
“If there is a need to make any changes in the rules regarding this, the ministry is willing to consider that. These platforms were given freedom for creativity, not obscenity. And when someone crosses a limit, then abusing, rudeness in the name of creativity cannot be accepted at all. Whatever necessary action needs to be taken on this, the government will not back down from it.”
The minister added most of the complaints so far have to be redressed at the producer, or the first level. “(Nearly) 90 to 92 % of the complaints are resolved by them by making necessary changes,” Thakur said. “The next level of complaint resolution is at the level of their association, where most of the complaints are resolved. At the last level it comes to the level of the government, where action is taken on the departmental committee level, according to the rules in place. But somewhere complaints have started increasing in the last few days and the department is taking it very seriously. If there is a need to make a change we are willing to consider it seriously.”
The intermediary guidelines, which were introduced in February 2021, bring OTT platforms under the aegis of the government for the first time. Platforms have to adhere to a code of conduct and ensure that content is in line with the rules. It also puts in place a three-tier redressal mechanism that asks platforms to take into account complaints from users. Over 80 platforms have so far their details with the ministry. The government has also sought that satellite TV and streaming services like Netflix, Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video, and other digital media outlets need to immediately stop airing advertisements promoting gambling and betting aimed at the Indian audience, or face penal action, the information and broadcasting ministry said in a stern advisory last year.
“The Ministry has observed that promotional content and advertisements of betting platforms are still visible on certain news platforms and OTT (over the top) platforms,” the advisory said. Some “online offshore betting platforms have started using news websites as a surrogate product to advertise betting platforms on digital media”, it further observed.
