India is considering changes to its cross-media and ownership restrictions, with regulator the telecoms Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) yesterday releasing a consultation paper on the issue.
The objective of the paper “is to provide for competition, diversity
and plurality of players, news and views,” said TRAI. With a number of
different restrictions issued from time to time under various Policy
Guidelines across different segments even within the TV sector (for
instance DTH, private TV and mobile TV), a somewhat piecemeal approach
has emerged.
Ther is therefore, said TRAI, “a need to lay down a holistic and clear
cut approach towards cross-media and ownership restrictions for the
future growth of these sectors.”
Issues include horizontal integration across different media segments
such as print/TV/radio; cross holding restrictions to prevent
consolidation including vertical integration within a media segment
such as TV; market share within each media segment in
city/state/country; and cross control and ownership acrss telecom and
media segments.
The full paper is available on TRAI’s website at www.trai.gov.in and comments are requested on or before October 24.
