Centre issues guidelines for MSOs to run platform services

New Delhi: The government on Wednesday asked multi-system operators to apply to register as a “company” within the next three months if they wish to provide local news and current affairs programmes on their networks as platform services.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued guidelines that permit Multi-System Operators (MSOs) to transmit their own programming service, either directly to their own subscribers or through one or more Local Cable Operators.

These own programming services referred to as ‘Platform Services (PS)’, which also include most ‘local-channels’, are exclusive programming services being generated at local level offered by MSOs.

The ministry has put in place a simple online registration process for PS channels by MSOs at nominal fees of Rs 1,000 per channel.