Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has taken a sharply different position from JioStar and Culver Max Entertainment in submissions filed to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) consultation on regulating Application-based Linear Television Distribution (ALTD) and Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) services.
While JioStar and Culver Max argued that FAST and ALTD services are application-layer OTT services operating over the open internet, ZEEL has argued that such platforms are “functionally identical” to traditional TV distribution because they deliver scheduled linear channels to viewers simultaneously.
In its submission, ZEEL said “Application-based Linear Television Distribution (ALTD) Services should be defined as services that distribute linear television channels to consumers through applications or web-based platforms over the internet while retaining the original definition of the Linear Television Channel.”
The company further argued that ALTD platforms “should be recognised as replicating traditional linear television viewing on digital platforms and should not be clubbed with OTT Services.”
ZEEL pushes broadcasting-style regulation: At the centre of the submission is the argument that regulation should follow the nature of the service rather than the technology used to deliver it.
The company said ALTD services “perform the same essential function as traditional television distribution, namely the delivery of permitted linear television channels to consumers.” It also argued that the “defining feature of a linear channel is continuous and real-time transmission for all the viewers.”
Accordingly, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited has sought a formal authorisation framework for ALTD services under the television distribution regulation. The broadcaster proposed that the “Application Provider should be designated as the primary stakeholder responsible for obtaining authorisation for the provisioning of ALTD Services.”
The company justified this by saying the application provider “aggregates and distributes linear television channels”, “manages the application interface,” controls the electronic program guide, and “enables service delivery to end-users across devices.”
ZEEL also said application providers “should be held accountable for regulatory compliance, including adherence to content quality, anti-piracy and security, consumer protection obligations, and any other applicable conditions.”
Calls for parity with DTH and cable: The broadcaster said licensed TV distribution platforms already comply with “Programme and Advertising Codes, consumer protection frameworks, tariff and interconnection regulations, as well as mandatory carriage of public service broadcasting content.”
In contrast, it argued that the absence of similar obligations for ALTD and FAST services creates “regulatory arbitrage” and a…
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