GOI had recently brought the digital media platforms which include News media, and Online Curated Content Providers (OCCP) under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The Cabinet Secretariat issued a notification on November 9, which announced the changes in the allocation of Business Rules, 1961. Those changes effectively brought all the digital media platforms under the ambit of the I&B Ministry.

It comes after a recent case hearing over the News channel Sudarshan, which had aired a controversial programme, where government had suggested that digital news platforms and portals like YouTube should be brought under regulation.

Till now, the print, television, and radio were under the ambit of the I&B Ministry and the digital media platforms were under the MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology). The November 9 notification changed the allocation pattern. It implies that the OCCPs which include News portals and video streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar will be regulated by the I&B Ministry. It is important to underscore that user-generated content platforms like the YouTube, Facebook, and other similar portals would continue to be under the ambit of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Certain sources in the industry stated that they welcome the move as it would bring more clarity regarding the issue of jurisdiction over the various media portals and platforms, whereas some others are apprehensive over the move.

The Communist Party of India has opposed this move by the central government to bring digital media and platforms like Amazon Prime, Hotstar, and Netflix under the I&B Ministry. The party stated that after having muzzled the print and electronic/ visual media, the GOI is now moving ahead to control/silence the digital media. The party stated that it believes that the IT Act 2000, and other existing relevant laws in this regard are enough to regulate the space of the digital media. It also highlighted that this decision comes at a time when India entered into recession for the first time in its history in the first half of the FY 2020-21.

The GOI on the other hand has stated that in the near future, PIB accreditation would be extended to the digital media journalists, and that the digital media platforms would be eligible for government Ads based on certain criteria. It has also suggested that the digital media platforms should form self-regulating bodies which would streamline the interaction between the government and the media platforms.