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Broadband India Forum (BIF) on Monday commended the initiative by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to gather public input for the National Broadcasting Policy (NBP).

The BIF said an enabling policy framework can provide the much-needed fillip for the broadcasting sector to unlock its full potential and position India as a global leader in broadcasting.

"Coming on the footsteps of the recently announced Indian Telecommunications Act 2023, the proposed National Broadcast Policy could serve as a great enabler of reforms in the broadcasting sector and likely to give a big boost to the entire media and entertainment sector while making India a global content hub," said T. V. Ramachandran, President of BIF.

In its submission, BIF has addressed four key areas, including bridging the viewership gap, tariff forbearance, OTTs are not broadcasting services and market-driven innovation for choice of direct-to-mobile (D2M) technology.

"Private DTH operators should be empowered to introduce innovative services akin to DD Free Dish to increase television penetration in rural and remote areas where Pay TV services might not be prevalent," said the forum.

It also advocated the need for permitting tariff forbearance like for telecom (where effectively only three operators available) so that private operators can optimise customer benefits and marketing strategies.

BIF stated that OTTs and broadcasting services are distinct from each other.

OTT is a sunrise sector with growth potential and is already contributing immensely to the growth of India’s digital economy.

According to a recent study by BIF, the economic value of the app economy estimated at the current rate of growth is expected to reach up to 12 per cent of India’s economy by 2030.

"Traditionally, OTT services have not been a part of the broadcasting ecosystem since they are functionally distinct from TV and radio broadcasting that involves a combination of carriage and content," according to the submission by the BIF