NEW DELHI: With the government having given valid permission to a total of 886 private television channels including 399 news channels, it appears highly unlikely that the country will achieve the target of 1500 channels by March next year as assumed by the State Finance Commission while drafting its proposals for the 12th Plan (2012-17).
Interestingly, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had given permission to 1035 channels but later cancelled permission to 149, thus adding twentythree more refused permission after 31 March this year.
Thus the number of general entertainment channels is 487 as on 31 July 2016.
Twenty-two channels including seven news channels have been permitted to uplink from India but not downlink within the country, thus leadiong to an increase of two general entertainment channels since 31 March 2016.
A total of 768 channels including 391 GECs are allowed to uplink and downlink in the country thus showing a reduction of one newx channel in the past four months.
A total of 96 including 81 GECs are uplinked from overseas but allowed to downlink into TV homes in the country, and there had been no change in this number for the past four months.
Interestingly, seven channels have lost their licences after 20 July 2016, when a list posted on the Ministry’s website in response to a Paliament question after the controversy over Peace TV and other illegal channels showed a total of 893 permitted channels.
After 30 April 2016, the lone news channel cleared is ATE TV of Airtravel Enterprises India
Limited;
The Non-News channels cleared are B4U Plus and B4U HITZ of B4U Television Network I
Pvt. Ltd; MAAS TV of Gokann International Media Pvt. Ltd; Nambikkai Television in Tamil and Goodnews TV of Goodnews Channel Pvt. Ltd; and MK Tunes amd MK Six of Madurai Krishan Network Pvt. Ltd.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry site (mib.nic.in) also contains the full details of the owners of these channels, the languages in which they will beam, and the date on which the clearance came.
However, there are no details of the 149 channels denied permission.
