Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Wednesday called for some form of self-regulation in the media and entertainment industry especially with regards to the content being streamed on OTT apps. Stating that the industry is a sunrise sector, he added that the government is making efforts to simplify the permission mechanism for shooting of content at various locations in the country.

Speaking at the CII Big Picture Summit, he said, “ I do believe that some form of self-regulation within the media and entertainment industry is called for. On one hand we talk of our culture, our heritage, our rich tradition, our family value system and on the other hand some of the content that we see on television and OTT platforms certainly is beyond what is considered as ordinarily accepted standards within the Indian cultural landscape.“

Decency in presentation

He said modern, catchy and entertaining way of presentation of content was welcome, but a certain level of decency in presentation of India, Indian families and Indian culture is something that captains of the industry must pay attention to. “If the industry will not self-regulate, there will be clamour from society, then the government should regulate it..So, I do believe that it is important that everybody participates in an effort to make the industry more acceptable and really bring in value propositions.The messaging in these programs must not be disconnected with the Indian reality,” Goyal added.

The Minister also asked the industry to carefully introspect on novel entertainment avenues such as gaming and examine to what levels we are willing to allow our youngsters to be on betting platforms .

Leveraging talent

Stating that the industry is a sunrise sector and growing at a fast pace, he added that the industry needs to leverage on the Indian talent and skill sets to bolster this growth momentum further. He added that the industry and the government would have to work together to push the growth of this sector. Goyal also pointed out that India in itself is a huge market for the media and entertainment industry, but noted that it had a long way to go to reach the inflection point. India has the ability to create content for the world, he added.

The Minister also said that efforts will be made to simplify the mechanism for permissions for shooting in India at various locations. He added that the government understands the need to make the legal framework much more contemporary and will engage with industry on the same.

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