Government allows private TV channels to share public service content

New Delhi: Granting relaxations, the government on Monday said the 30-minute daily obligatory public service broadcast by private broadcasters could be embedded in programmes telecast by other television channels.

In an advisory, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting also said the public service broadcast content need not be of 30 minutes at a stretch and could be spread over smaller time slots.

"The time for which the public service broadcasting content is telecast in between commercial breaks shall not be accounted for the 12-minute limit for commercial breaks," the advisory said.

The private broadcasters have to submit a monthly report on the Broadcast Seva Portal.

In November last year, the ministry had asked the private television channels to air public service broadcast content for 30 minutes every day under eight themes of national importance and social relevance as part of the new service obligations.

The guidelines were stipulated in the new uplinking-downlinking rules prescribed by the ministry on November 9 last year.

The fresh advisory was issued on Monday after holding extensive consultations with private satellite television channels and their associations.

The government has also allowed sharing of content between the broadcasters and repeat telecasts on one or several television channels.

It has also allowed the creation of a common e-platform as a repository of relevant videos or textual content from various sources for the purpose of public service broadcasting, which may be accessed and used by the television channels.

The government has also barred the broadcast of public service content between midnight and 6 am.

Subjects such as water conservation and disaster management have also been added to the list of themes of national importance and social relevance.

The themes notified earlier were education and spread of literacy, agriculture and rural development, health and family welfare, science and technology, welfare of women, welfare of the weaker sections of the society, protection of environment and cultural heritage and national integration.