Netflix And Viacom18 Will Lobby Indian Government To Postpone New Broadcasting Bill

Netfl;ix will lobby the Indian government on the New Broadcasting Bill. (photo: dock. pexels)

JAKARTA - Netflix, billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Viacom18 and other streaming companies plan to collectively lobby the Indian government to delay or overhaul the broadcasting bill they fear will incriminate the sector.

India last month introduced a new bill to regulate the broadcasting sector which will also apply to streaming giants. It proposes the formation of an individual content evaluation committee with members of various social groups who will review and approve the show before its release.

Although all films in Indian cinemas are reviewed and certified by the government-appointed council, streaming content is not natural.

In a closed meeting this week, top executives of several streaming companies including Netflix and Viacom18 running the JioCinema platform discussed plans to approach the government to delay and consider overhauling the bill, according to a source who declined to be named because the talks were private.

The bill is open to public consultations until December 10.

"Netflix and others raise concerns that the content committee will cause excessive pre-screening checks, raising implementation issues as a lot of online content needs to be reviewed first," said one source.

Netflix and Viacom18, as well as India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which have proposed the law, did not respond to requests for comment.

The first source said streaming executives during this week's meeting marked the risk the law could have an impact on industrial growth.

Platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and JioCinema are becoming very popular in India, which is expected to grow into a $7 billion market for the sector by 2027, according to Media Partners Asia.

The Indian government says new laws and content committee formation will assist in "strong sesetaragulation". The government can determine the size and quorum of the committee and only events that are "certified" will be broadcast, the bill said.

"There are concerns about widespread government oversight of streaming platforms," said a second source.

Top Bollywood stars appear in Indian streaming shows, some of whom have faced criticism from lawmakers and the public for scenes that are considered vulgar or offensive.