He also said Trai will hold an open house discussion on the consultation paper, Review of Regulatory Framework for Broadcasting and Cable Services, and issue its recommendations soon after that.
“We will come up with improvements in our regulations to address the requirements of the industry,” Lahoti said in a fireside chat with Tata Play CEO Harit Nagpal at the Ficci Frames 2024. “We will shortly issue a detailed consultation paper on the NBP to take input from the industry.”
The ministry of information and broadcasting, which is putting together the NBP, has sought Trai’s recommendations on the policy. In September 2023, Trai had issued a pre-consultation paper on it.
Some of the issues put up for discussion include the promotion of local content, containing piracy and having a separate regulator for the broadcasting sector.Lahoti also said over-the-top (OTT) video streaming will complement linear TV rather than replace it and will expand the overall video viewership pie.”TV is neither dead nor going to die. Mobile is a 5-inch screen, and TV is a 50-inch screen. You can’t have the same entertainment on mobile as TV. Mobile is not replacing, but augmenting TV. It is expanding the reach of TV, and it is also expanding the viewership,” Lahoti said.
The Trai chairman also said that the regulator’s job is to enable the orderly growth of the industry. He added Trai has to enable new players and technologies to come in by removing entry barriers.
