This weekend, 15 OTT platforms in India, including steaming giant Netflix, signed a self-regulation code, declaring that they will self-police the content they stream in India. The move is purported to make the Indian online entertainment space cleaner, and more responsible towards its effect on the general population. The self-regulation code has been developed by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
The 15 signatories include Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus Hotstar, Zee5, Viacom18’s Voot, ALTBalaji, Eros Now, MX Player, Discovery Plus, Jio Cinema, Hoichoi, Arre, Flickstree, Hungama and Shemaroo. SonyLIV has yet to sign.
Significantly, while platforms such as Disney Plus Hotstar and Amazon Prime have always followed the self-censorship code in India, Netflix is one leading platform that has never believed in censorship. It has never submitted itself to censorship in any country across the globe, including India.
So does this move mean the end of streaming of shows such as Netflix’s Dark Desire and 365 Days, loaded with explicit sex; or shows such as Amazon Prime’s Paatal Lok, that whipped up religious passions on social media for quite some time after release.
Well, the answer to that is – not quite.
The self-regulation code signed by the OTT players is a clever gambit on the part of the OTT community to avoid the clamour of censorship on streaming platforms, a clamour that has reached gigantic proportions in recent times. The government has been breathing down the necks of streamers, asking them to self-censor or the government will be compelled to step in. By signing the self-regulation code, these platforms have scored a strategic victory in avoiding the ogre of censorship by the Government.
The terms of the code are thus –
Each OTT player has to do the following –
1. Set up a framework for age classification and content descriptions for titles, (e.g., language, violence, sex), as well as parental control tools.
2. Set up a consumer complaints department and/or an internal committee, and an advisory panel to deal with appeals and complaints. The advisory panel must have minimal 3 members, including an independent external advisor and two senior executives from the streamer.
The important point to consider is that most platforms are already doing the first. Netflix in particular offers a detailed description of each of its content, specifying if a show/movie has explicit language, violence, sex and nudity. It also has parental control tools on its platform. It won’t be an issue for other platforms to adhere to the first requirement.
Regarding the second, since the grievances panel will have two members from the streamer, and one external advisor, the concerned streamer will automatically have a majority say in the complaint/grievance it will look into, thereby easily tiding over any issues that do crop up.
In view of the above, the self-regulation code is just an eyewash to side-step government control. By adhering to the quite simple requirements mentioned above, streaming platforms will have the freedom to create the content they want to, without the threat of government censorship.
So yes, viewers can continue to enjoy their ‘Dark Desire’ ‘365 Days’ of the year, even with the self-regulation code well and truly in place.
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