Things on OTT are about to change soon. Gone are the days when OTT players took complete freedom to show anything and everything which they felt was important for the development of the story.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is working on new regulations to oversee content on OTT platforms before it is released.
This will be different from the current practice, where content is altered only after release, often in response to public complaints or legal issues. Take the case of IC-814. The disclaimer was added only after the outrage. Had the series been censored before, this issue would never have arrived.
By regulating content beforehand, the government hopes to reduce legal disputes and ensure compliance with its guidelines.
Major OTT platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, and Jio are already engaged in discussions with the government. So, it is a really great thing that the government is listening to the take of the OTT platforms too.
These consultations focus on how content is researched and developed, especially when it touches upon sensitive subjects like Indian history.
This is all due to the Netflix series IC 814, which sparked debate over its portrayal of events related to the 1999 Indian Airlines hijacking.
The government has already instructed Netflix to make cuts and add disclaimers in specific cases, but now the laws are anyway going to be changed.
This new step will severely change the way content is created and consumed on OTT. Let’s see if we are able to see any visible changes.