UGC on social media may be brought under the purview of the Broadcast Services Bill

The government is considering incorporating UGC from professional creators on social media under the draft Broadcasting Services Bill.

The MIB has proposed the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Act, 2023, as a replacement for the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. The bill aims to simplify regulatory procedures, address OTT content and digital news, and provide updated definitions for new technologies.

It also includes rules for Content Evaluation Committees, a Broadcast Advisory Council, program and advertisement codes, measures for disabled individuals, and legal consequences.

According to industry sources, the Government is considering adding User Generated Content (UGC) created by professional creators on social media platforms to the draft Broadcasting Services Bill. At present, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) oversees content on social media platforms according to the current IT Rules.

Once the Broadcasting Services Bill is approved, official content created by professional influencers on social media will be overseen by both the MIB and MeitY. Currently, there is a lack of clear definition of who qualifies as 'professional creators' and uncertainty about the tasks and duties of platforms such as Google and Meta. Millions of creators will be affected by the proposal which mandates their registration under the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Act.

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