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The theatre exhibition of 'live' IPL matches is now under the government scanner over alleged violations of law on carriage and distribution of live television content using Internet and VSAT technologies, bypassing the government norms.
The ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL-3) is shown on SET Max channel while the in-theatre live screening is being handled by UFO Moviez using high-speed Internet and VSAT services of Hughes Communications India (HCIL), a leading VSAT operator. Both UFO and HCIL have denied any violation of laws.
However, according to government officials, the current laws do not permit public screening of Internet content in theatres. And the data transmission speed of video and audio cannot exceed 512 kilo bytes per second over VSAT, which it has exceeded for IPL screenings in the theatres. Therefore, the role of HCIL is under the scanner, government sources said.
"Prima-facie, the issue is of violation of ISP licence, which comes under the communications ministry," a senior official in the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry said.
When contacted, HCIL told FE that it has not violated any laws and it holds a valid VSAT and ISP licence. "HCIL is not in violation of any laws and all our activities are in accordance with requisite rules, regulations, licences and laws," said K Krishna, chief technology officer, Hughes Communications.
However, according to broadcasting laws, teleport operators are mandated to provide only authorised content to firms that are registered with the I&B ministry. UFO Moviez is not a licensed service provider and is not registered with the I&B ministry, the ministry officials said.
"IPL screening in theatres does not require any permission from the I&B ministry as it does not involve downlink or uplink of television channels. Also, it does not require certification. We had informed I&B in detail how it will be done and there are no violations on our part," Kapil Agarwal, joint MD, UFO Moviez, told FE.
However, both, I&B ministry and the communications ministry are now examining the matter as neither of them had given any specific permission to UFO and HCIL for in-theatre live exhibition of IPL matches, government sources said.
"When cable operators are hauled up and penalised for unauthorised transmission of channels, the exhibition of IPL in theatres may trigger unrestricted entry of unauthorised video content, television channels, and anti-national propagandas by unlawful elements. This should be checked," said Roop Sharma, president, Cable Operators Federation of India, the apex body of cable operators. "Using the same technology, unauthorised video content or television channels can enter India. The laws need to be reviewed and the matter should be investigated," Sharma said.
According to government sources, neither the communications ministry nor the I&B ministry gave a go-ahead to UFO's proposal submitted last month. On its part, the government said that the public screening of Internet content accessed by individual customers in theatres and cinema halls is "not envisaged" in the ISP licence and hosting the feed of matches live on a Website was "unclear" in the UFO proposal. However, it had directed the matter to the district authorities of states and Union territories who are the licensing agency for cinema theatres.
Currently, it takes six months to one year for a media company to obtain government approvals for uplink, downlink and distribution of video signals. The matters gains significance as there are close to 540 TV channels in the country while another 170 applications are pending with the I&B ministry. The in-theatre telecast of a television content using Internet and VSAT connectivity may encourage foreign operators to beam content without mandatory approvals or monitoring, stakeholders in the broadcasting sector said.
UFO Moviez, a specialist in satellite-based digital delivery of movies in theatres, is distributing IPL in theatres using the VSAT services of HCIL. UFO bought IPL's theatre rights for the ten-year period 2010-19 for Rs 330-crore. Hughes is delivering the IPL matches live to around 700 movie screens across the country on high-speed Internet via VSAT.
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