The Information & Broadcasting Ministry is proposing to bring in amendments to the Sports Broadcasting Signals Act (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act 2007, which is expected to enthuse sports buffs.

The Ministry proposes to ensure that viewers who do not have access to its terrestrial networks or its DTH Network – DD FreeDish – can also watch sports events of national importance through Doordarshan channels.

Under the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act 2007, all private broadcasters are required to share live broadcasting signals of sporting events of national importance with Prasar Bharati simultaneously, to enable the public broadcaster to re-transmit the same on its terrestrial networks and its direct-to-home (DTH) network.

Now the Ministry proposes to amend the Act to ensure that it can share the feed it gets from private sports broadcaster on DD channels that are carried by “other television distribution platforms,” namely Cable TV and private DTH platforms, the Ministry said in a notice on Tuesday.

Currently, viewers who do not have DD FreeDish or Doordarshan’s terrestrial network, are either unable to watch these sporting events or are compelled to watch them on highly priced sports channels, defeating the objective of the Sports Act, the notice said.

The Ministry has sought suggestions from stakeholders on the proposed amendments. This is also likely to ease telecast of sporting events on DD channels after last year’s Supreme Court decision which said that Prasar Bharati can air the feed from private sports broadcasters only on its terrestrial network and DD FreeDish, and it is not meant for cable networks or other distribution platforms.

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