Opinion: Debate on licensing TV channels shown via apps heats up

Tarun Katial, chief executive officer of Zee5, the video streaming platform of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, is a little taken aback by news reports that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is considering bringing in regulations for television channels that are shown on over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms such as Zee5 and its competitors, including Hotstar and Voot, among others.

“TV content is already regulated. We strictly adhere to the guidelines set by the regulatory bodies. Hence, we do not see a need to regulate the same content on a digital platform,” he says. The sentiment is echoed by Karan Bedi, chief executive officer, MX Player, a streaming platform owned by Times Internet Ltd. Zee5 and MX Player stream original content, as well as TV channels owned by their companies. They also showcase TV channels operated by other broadcasters.