This is a great move and most awaited movement of government. After bringing OTT platforms under the ambit of the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry, the government is planning to file a plea that seeks to all the court cases in India against OTT platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hotstar to the supreme court. Punjab and Haryana high court were already told by the government about their move. The government had announced that all digital media platforms including new media and online curated content providers would fall under the information and broadcasting ministry, many fears that this could spell doom for India’s high flying video OTT space. There are many cases which are filed against these platforms for harming emotional and religious feelings of people or there is content which is not appropriate for kids to watch. Around 23 cases related to OTT content are being heard in different courts of the country, and it will be better if the Supreme Court hears them all. There are three main areas where the constant flow of new shows on Netflix and other online video streaming sites is drawing in binge watchers from all over the world and potentially distracting them from their everyday tasks. As Netflix dumps full series online, people are no longer watching just one episode of some particular show each week. They are now watching television and online series in a way that changes how they spend their time. These binge watchers are being drawn in from everyday households, from college campuses, and even from the workforce.
People justify spending time in the evening in front of a television or computer for many reasons. A lot of people want to relieve stress from a hard day at work or just take some time to slow down for the night. Everyday households with a Netflix account can sit down in front of a television, start watching a series and escape from reality. But suddenly, hours and hours have gone by and the one episode the household sat down to watch has now become many episodes. This problem of people losing track of time while watching series television shows is being called the effect of series and movie. The others courts will also have to comply. Our position has to remains the same in all cases and if the Supreme Court gives its verdict the above condition will be implemented. According to official the decision to file a petition for the transfer of cases to the apex court was taken before the OTT were brought under the MIB’s purview earlier this month.
The supreme court had last month sought the centre’s response on a public interest litigation for regulating OTT platforms such as Netflix and Amazon prime video by an autonomously body. It is stated by PIL that digital content deliver a large amount of content to public without any filter or screening and it can hurt or influence badly for some. A bench comprising chief justice SA Bobde and justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramaniyam had issued notices to the central government, I&B ministry and internet and Mobile Association of India.
