Govt Revises Up Linking N Down Linking Policy

The Union cabinet revised the up-linking and down-linking policy of TV channels to deter non-serious applicants from crowding the electronic media landscape. In its meeting, the Union Cabinet decided to increase the net worth criteria for those seeking permission to run TV channels in the country.

An official release said the Union Cabinet cleared a proposal as per which the net worth criteria for up-linking of non-news and non current affairs channels and down-linking of foreign channels has been revised from 1.5 crore rupees to 5 crore rupees for the first channel. It further said companies will have to show an additional net worth of 2.5 crore rupees for each additional channel.

The release said for up-linking of `News and Current Affairs` channels the net worth has been increased from 3 crore rupees to 20 crore rupees for the first channel and 5 crore rupees for each additional channel.

All television channels would be required to operationalise their TV channels within a time frame of one year from the date of permission. The period of permission and registration for up-linking and down-linking of channels will be uniform at 10 years.