OTT Content Creators Share Views Over New Rules & Regulations By Government

Click Here To Promote Anything On The Above Place

After a lot of complaints against the OTT platforms for showing objectionable content, the government of India, on Thursday (February 25), decided to tighten the grip over digital platforms including social media by introducing a new set of guidelines. And now, over new rules and regulations, the OTT content creators have shared their views and some of them are sensing these regulations indirect censorship.

Pritish Nandy, creator of the popular web series "Four More Shots Please", tells IANS, "Without doubt, the purpose of this regulation is to have greater control over digital media and OTT platforms, which have in recent times demonstrated amazing power and reach through their content. The banality of Bollywood has been left miles behind by new-age original content. Indian content makers have also shown that they can compete against the best in the world".



Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt, who has created web series such as "Twisted", "Maaya" and "Twisted 3", says, "Unfortunately, the nature of politics is to make issues and there is nothing that makes issues better than Bollywood and showbiz. Yesterday, people were more interested in OTT and social media than in Nirav Modi's extradition. This is the nature of the beast. I think we can shout, scream and go crazy, that's the rule of the game".

"Every country has a safe zone and as long as you play in the safe zone, things are fine. The minute you step out of it, you will be penalized. That is the rule of the game whether you like it or not. You can scream blue murder, nothing is going to happen. For years filmmakers have asked the government to turn films into a regulatory system like the OTT. The censor board gives certification but they are still giving cuts. It has been years and years now, and all my career I have been waiting for something to happen but nothing did", he added.

Writer Sumrit Shahi says, "It is indirect censorship. It is trying to form an opinion on what can be seen or not. Unlike television or films, which are means of collective experience, OTT content was meant for private viewership. OTT content by its nature was meant for individual consumption, hence the idea was to giving people the choice to view. Censorship is made keeping these things in mind".

According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), the OTT platforms would self-classify the content into five age-based categories - U (Universal), U/A 7+, U/A 13+, U/A 16+, and A (Adult). Platforms would be required to implement parental locks for content classified as U/A 13+ or higher, and reliable age verification mechanisms for content classified as A.

Stay tuned...