Recommendations On 'Listing Of Channels In Electronic Programme Guide And Upgrading DD Free Dish Platform To An Addressable System'

TRAI, vide notification dated July 8, 2024, issued its recommendations to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting ("MIB") on 'Listing of channels in Electronic Programme Guide and Upgrading DD Free Dish platform to an Addressable System'. TRAI observed that issues related to the listing of television channels in the Electronic Programme Guide ("EPG") of the Distribution Platform Operators ("DPOs") and non-addressable platform of 'DD Free Dish' of public service broadcaster need to be addressed by means of these recommendations. TRAI has broadly recommended the following:

1. MIB is required to seek information from broadcasters about primary language of their television channel and sub-genre of every non-news channel. The information obtained may be displayed on the MIB's Broadcast Seva Portal to assist distributors upgrading Prasar Bharati's 'DD Free Dish' to an addressable system in phases. The MIB is required to notify this upgrade, allowing enough transition time and necessary exemptions from TRAI for Prasar Bharati to prepare and migrate subscribers;
2. Prasar Bharati is required to collaborate with the Centre for Development of Telematics or an Indian organisation to implement indigenous technologies for Conditional Access System ("CAS"), Subscriber Management System, and interoperable Set Top Box ("STBs") for 'DD Free Dish' and urges that all STBs in India support technical interoperability, with the MIB directing private DPOs to implement interoperable STBs;
3. CAS and subscriber management system must adhere to testing and certification requirements set by the Telecommunication Engineering Centre. STBs should comply with specifications of the Bureau of Indian Standards or other approved standards; and
4. from April 1, 2025, all private broadcasters' channels on 'DD Free Dish' are required to be encrypted before uplinking, while government and Prasar Bharati channels may stay unencrypted.

Recommendations on 'Listing of Channels in Electronic Programme Guide and Upgrading DD Free Dish Platform to an Addressable System'

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