Netflix, Zee5 & More Refuse to be Part of Self-Regulatory Body

Netflix and Hotstar differ over the self-regulation body.

Netflix, Zee5, AltBalaji have refused to be a part of a new self-regulatory body for OTT platforms. 

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With a new council being set up for content regulation on over-the-top (OTT) platforms, some streaming services are opting out of the body. Streaming platforms like Hotstar, Jio, SonyLIV, Voot and Eros Now have signed up for being a part of the independent adjudicatory council which will be receiving consumer complaints.

However, platforms like Netflix, Zee5, AltBalaji, MXPlayer and Arre have refused to be a part of it. This body, called the Digital Content Complaint Council (DCCC), will be presided over by a retired judge and representatives from the entertainment fraternity and government as well. It will look into complaints from consumers and the government.

In a recent meeting of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Prakash Javadekar and the heads of all the major video streaming platforms, the OTT services were told that the government would not ideally want to get involved in any kind of censorship or content regulation but emphasised that the industry should roll-out a self-regulatory mechanism by 15 June.

According to a reports, they were further told that the film industry had complained that while their content requires a CBFC certificate, the streaming industry does not follow even a self-regulatory code.

Last year, most of these platforms had signed a self-regulation code prohibiting content disrespecting the national emblem or flag, promoting terrorism or outraging religious sentiments of any community.