Parliament Panel discusses 'reasonable curbs' on OTT platform content: Report

Leading Over-the-Top (OTT) streaming platforms worldwide. (Image: News18 Creative)

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology (IT) discussed challenges of imposing “reasonable curbs” on over-the-top (OTT) platforms while protecting their creative freedom during a meeting on January 13.

The committee discussed achievable regulations in the face of “the sheer scale of sources from which content is received and curated on different OTT platforms, The Times of India reported.

Speaking on behalf of the censor, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) head Prasoon Joshi told the panel that filmmakers are “happy to cut or alter content” when the Board brings up concerns in regards to Indian laws or in case of topics that are “likely to hurt sentiments.”

Joshi also informed the panel that the Shyam Benegal Committee report on censorship is now “largely redundant due to advancement in technology and arrival of OTT platforms,” sources told the paper.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

Sources added that CBFC members also made a case for the need for “moving from censorship to certification” as outlined in the 2013 Mudgal Committee report as a “more relevant” method.