JioStar Vice-Chairman Uday Shankar has reportedly urged regulators to avoid applying uniform regulations to television and digital platforms, citing their fundamentally distinct characteristics and stages of evolution. Speaking at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, Shankar cautioned that homogenised regulation could erode value in both sectors.
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Distinct Ecosystems Require Tailored Regulations
"You keep hearing conversations about how all screens should be treated alike. But no, you cannot do that and if you do, you will destroy the value in both businesses," Uday Shankar, Vice-Chairman of JioStar, said during a panel session, according to an ETTelecom report.
Elaborating on the differences, Shankar described television as a household-centric, large-screen subscription service, whereas digital platforms are accessed via personal devices with entirely different usage patterns.
"Television is a household subscription service, typically consumed on a large screen. Digital, on the other hand, is accessed via private, personal devices—individual screens with a different purpose and usage context."
"Television is a mature, even ageing medium, while digital is just emerging," he noted, as per the report. Shankar argued that a one-size-fits-all regulatory approach would be detrimental, and urged for platform-specific policies that nurture growth without stifling innovation.
"We should support each where required, but trying to homogenise everything will only result in homogeneously destroying value from both," he cautioned, as per the report.
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TRAI Chairman Pushes for Regulatory Parity
Shankar's remarks stood in contrast to those of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti, who earlier advocated for regulatory parity between television broadcasting and digital streaming. Delivering the keynote address at WAVES 2025, Lahoti reportedly pointed to the widening regulatory gap between the two mediums.
"Are we treating linear and digital TV equally in regulatory terms?" Lahoti asked, emphasising that linear television has evolved under a structured and periodically updated framework, while digital broadcasting remains lightly regulated–or not regulated at all–in some areas. He raised concerns over disparities in content oversight and consumer protection.
The Case for Balanced Oversight
Currently, cable television must comply with government-mandated programming and advertising codes. In contrast, over-the-top (OTT) platforms are largely self-regulated, prompting the Supreme Court to issue a notice in a public interest litigation seeking regulation of streaming content. Lahoti also highlighted inconsistencies in consumer safeguards, noting that cable TV consumers benefit from fair pricing and service quality guarantees—protections that are limited or absent in the digital space.
"While technological advantages are acceptable, regulatory imbalances are not," Lahoti reportedly said. He stressed the need for fair and consistent regulation to ensure a level playing field across platforms.
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Broadcast Bill Aims to Bridge Regulatory Gaps
Lahoti also referenced the draft Broadcast Bill proposed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which seeks to bring television and OTT platforms under a unified regulatory framework. A parliamentary committee has recently urged the ministry to expedite the introduction of the bill after thorough stakeholder consultations.
