Television Channels

The Secretary, Information and Broadcasting, Apurva Chandra said that out of 898 television channels broadcast in the country, 532 use foreign satellites to uplink and downlink their services, on 28 October. The countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan which are neighbouring to India can also use our country as a hub for uplinking their television channels

The government plans to deregulate uplinking of satellite television channels in a bid soon. This will make India an uplinking hub.

The Secretary, Information and Broadcasting, Apurva Chandra said that out of 898 television channels broadcast in the country, 532 use foreign satellites to uplink and downlink their services, on 28 October.

While addressing the India Space Congress Chandra said that to make India a hub, we want to deregulate uplinking to satellites within the guidelines.

He said that guidelines related to the uplinking and downlinking were issued last in 2011 and the process to revise it was underway.

Soon within a month, the guidelines will be revised, Chandra told reporters later.

The countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan which are neighbouring to India can also use our country as a hub for uplinking their television channels, the secretary said.

Chandra said that an approval of USD 102 million (one million = 10 lakh) was made by the government in remittances to foreign satellite operators during last two years. Such approval was made to provide uplinking and downlinking services to television channels.

He noted the importance of self-reliance in the satellite broadcasting sector which can be achieved by manufacturing more satellites in the nation.

Presently, Singapore is used as the hub various satellite television channels to broadcast their channels. The deregulation of uplinking could help India emerge as a hub, he added.