New Delhi: In a bid to strengthen its
`content code`, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is
mulling introducing a parental lock system and fixing
`watershed hours` for showing adult content on television
through discussions with broadcasters.
Top sources in the ministry on Monday said the proposal
for introducing a parental lock system and watershed hours
came up during minister Ambika Soni`s recent meetings with
representatives of Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) and
News Broadcasters Association (NBA), as she is keen that these
norms, followed globally, should be implemented in India also.
Though consultations are still on between the ministry
and broadcasters on fine tuning the content code, it will take
some time for both parties to arrive at a consensus on its
various aspects, sources said.
"With a majority of Indian families still being single
television set ones having elderly members, the minister is of
the view that such provisions would help make television
viewing a pleasant experience for them," a senior ministry
official said.
The ministry is said to have suggested broadcasters
that under the system, parents would be able to lock certain
channels, which they think should not be viewed by children
belonging to a certain age group.
The sources also said that the minister has suggested
broadcasters to introduce watershed hours for adult
programmes, where adult content could be shown between 11 pm
and 4 am on television.
Since assuming office in June, Soni initiated the
process of having consultations with IBF and NBA
representatives with the aim of making the `content code` more
acceptable to broadcasters.
Though the code has been in place for quite some time,
both IBF and NBA, the two major bodies of television news and
entertainment channels, have been following their own set of
self regulatory norms. The logic being, that the content code
guidelines were not acceptable to them as they contended that
these were too interfering.
While NBA had drafted its code soon after the 26/11
attacks, IBF had its own set of rules in place a couple years
ago when it had even suggested `A` and `UA` ratings for
television programmes on the line of feature films.
The government while welcoming the guidelines engaged
them in discussions, held almost on a bi-weekly basis, with
the aim of inculcating some their rules into its own code.
Ministry officials said though broadcasters have
their own set of guidelines, whenever there is a violation of
norms by television channels, government sends advisories to
channels as per the guidelines of the content code, which have
to be adhered by broadcasters.
In such a light, the aim of consultations between Soni
and broadcasters is to arrive at a consensus on a mutually
acceptable content code (of the government) and also on
creating a synergy between the interests of both viewers and
broadcasters, ministry sources said.
Bureau Report
