Need for Regulating OTT Platforms
The various reasons due to which the need for regulating OTT platforms arises are as follows:
- To OTT platforms responsible for th e content they show as there is no separate legislation to regulate OTT platforms.
- To create a non-discriminatory, level playing field for OTT platform and traditional media like television and cinema.
- To safegaurad users from inappropriate or harmful content.
- To maintain the standard of the content according to the ethics, societal and legal norms.
- To ensure fair competition among different OTT platforms.
- For the child safety that is to protect children from viewing obscene and vulgar or inappropriate content.
- To prevent the spread of content that could cause any public disorder like violence, communal disharmony.
- The OTT platform should be regulated as it depends on the existing telecom infrastructure.
OTT Full Form
OTT Full Form: OTT is the services that offer viewers access to movies, TV shows, web series, and other media directly through the Internet, bypassing cable or satellite systems. They can be accessed through internet-connected devices like computers, smartphones, set-top boxes, and smart TVs. In India’s regulatory system, they are called ‘publishers of online curated content’.
OTT platforms include services like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Sony Liv, Disney+, Hulu, etc. The content available is not free and one has to pay a subscription fee for it. Recently OTT was in the news on a regulatory mechanism for over-the-top (OTT) communication services, that is whether OTT services should be regulated or be let to continue to operate as it is.
In this article, we will discuss the full form of OTT, its background, regulation, pros and cons, etc.
Table of Content
- OTT Full Form
- Background on OTT Regulation in India
- Need for Regulating OTT Platforms
- Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023
- Pros and Cons of OTT Platform
- Challenges in Regulating OTT Platform
- Way Forward – OTT Full Form