Get ready to say goodbye to highly edgy or sexual content on OTT platforms. Or, probably, for that matter an uncut version of Game of Throneas available on some platforms too may be out of bounds for Indian viewers.
Quick or simultaneous release of international shows in India too may be a problem and time consuming if certification is to be obtained for every show and movie to be streamed in India for Indians, as per government rules.
“Online curated content shall be classified into the categories referred… having regard to the context, theme, tone, impact and target audience of such content, and it shall be granted the relevant certificate for such categories based on an assessment of the relevant content descriptors in the manner specified,” states Indian government’s likely-to-be-announced guidelines for online and social media content.
The rules will apply to all platforms and distributors of online content irrespective of the fact whether such entities are based in India or not. As long as their end product, content, is targeted at Indian users this certification rule will apply.
However, it is not clear which body will issue such a certification to programmes and whether this certification applies to all content-India-made and international including web series and films or just films.
Probably IAMAI, the industry trade body of OTT and digital companies, could be doing these certifications.
The government also proposes to have several categories under which content will need to be classified. The categories are `U’ (suitable for all age groups); U/A 7+ (can be viewed by people under the age of seven years with parental guidance); U/A 13+ (suitable for people of 13 years with parental guidance); U/A 16+ and ‘A’ rating where content is primarily for adults.
Interestingly access to `A’ category content will have to be age-verified in the sense that the platform will have to have a mechanism to verify the age of the viewer.
A proposal, prepared by the government, also supports self-regulation by the industry, as etched out by IAMAI’s self-regulatory toolkit released recently. But over individual complaints officials in individual companies and the self-regulatory body will sit an oversight committee called the inter-departmental committee or IDC.
The government shall “coordinate and facilitate” implementation of Code of Ethics by OTT and SM platforms and for that purpose  have an oversight mechanism.
The oversight panel or the IDC is likely to have representatives from various ministries like Meity, Information and Broadcasting, Women and Child Development, Law and Justice, Home Affairs, External Affairs and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, apart from other government organizations and some domain experts.
The head of the seven-member self-regulatory body (including the chairman) will have to be chosen from a panel drawn up by the government.
For news and current affairs category, the c ode of ethics will rely on norms prescribed by the Press Council of India, Programme Code under section 5 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act and content that is prohibited under any law for the time being in force.
Keep tuned in for more about Ott.