The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has issued a stern warning to broadcasters, emphasizing that transferring the core operations of TV channels to third parties, including group entities, without prior permission is a direct violation of policy guidelines. Such actions will lead to the cancellation of the broadcaster’s licence.

As the licensing authority for TV channels, MIB cited Clause 26(2) of the ‘Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Satellite Television Channels in India, 2022,’ which explicitly prohibits permission holders from contracting out core operations such as content generation, content transfer, and content uplinking to third parties, The Economic Times.

In an advisory issued on Tuesday, the ministry instructed all permitted broadcasters to adhere strictly to these guidelines, ensuring that the operations and core functions of their channels are managed exclusively by the permission holders.

“Therefore, it is hereby clarified that the letting of the channels to any third party, including the group entities, without the prior permission of the ministry is not allowed as per the existing policy guidelines,” the MIB advisory stated.