The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has tightened its regulatory sweep of the cable distribution sector, leaving just 818 Multi System Operators (MSOs) on the official roll as on September 30, 2025. The figure, published by the MIB in its monthly register, marks a modest but meaningful contraction in the number of licensed MSOs compared with earlier this year.

A comparison of the ministry’s registers shows the count falling from 842 registered MSOs at the end of May 2025 to 818 at the end of September — a net decline of 24 operators over four months. This shift follows a sustained compliance drive by the ministry that has included cancellation, surrender and closure of registrations in cases where statutory conditions were not met.

The MIB’s latest “Application Cancelled, Closed and Rejected” list details scores of individual cases where applications for MSO registration were either rejected, closed for want of documents, withdrawn by applicants, or cancelled for other reasons. Denial of security clearance, incomplete or missing paperwork, non-payment of the requisite processing fee, negative net worth and suppression of material information are among the specific grounds recorded in the ministry’s orders. The department’s files contain case-by-case notes that underline the range of procedural and substantive deficiencies that triggered action.

Industry trackers and trade outlets note the MIB’s approach has been persistent since last year: more than 1,000 MSO registrations have been cancelled or surrendered over recent reporting periods as regulators push to cleanse the database of dormant or non-compliant entities. Alongside this long-term tally, a cluster of roughly 114 MSO applications have been explicitly listed by the ministry as cancelled, rejected or closed in recent months, illustrating that the enforcement drive reaches both active registrants and new applicants.

For operators and stakeholders, the immediate consequences are practical. A smaller, more rigorously vetted cohort of MSOs should — in theory — improve traceability and enforcement of obligations such as seeding/subscriber data submission, addressable system audits and anti-piracy compliance. However, industry analysts warn that abrupt deregistration or an opaque enforcement process could also create short-term disruption in under-served local markets where a cancelled MSO is the only distributor. The ministry has repeatedly stressed that closures follow due process and are driven by statutory lapses rather than discretionary intent.
What the numbers suggest is a sector in transition: regulators are reducing the headcount of registered MSOs, concentrating operating rights in entities that meet the technical, financial and security criteria. For consumers the change may not be immediately visible in most urban markets dominated by larger distribution firms and DTH operators, but in smaller towns and rural pockets the withdrawal of a local MSO could affect channel availability and last-mile service continuity unless alternate arrangements are made quickly.

The MIB’s published lists — both the register of active MSOs and the separate compilation of cancelled and closed applications — provide a granular public record for industry watchers. They also set a clear signal for prospective MSOs: compliance, financial soundness and transparency of ownership remain non-negotiable if an operator wants to secure and retain a registration.