DTH smuggling: Broadcasters urge TRAI, MIB to tighten STB norms, seek nodal officer in MEA

Broadcasters have sounded the alarm over a growing nexus of international piracy rings and DTH box smuggling, urging the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to take coordinated action across regulatory and diplomatic channels.  

Industry stakeholders are urging TRAI to initiate a consultation process for the upgradation of STBs, including the introduction of geo-blocking mechanisms to prevent Indian satellite television signals from being accessed illegally outside the country along with other tech safeguard measures.

A leading executive from the broadcasting association said, “At present, the absence of such safeguards allows Indian DTH boxes to function seamlessly across borders, creating a regulatory blind spot that piracy networks are exploiting.”

Broadcasters have also called on the MIB to take up the issue diplomatically through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), suggesting the appointment of nodal officers or assigning responsibilities to cultural or commercial attaches in Indian missions abroad. The move, they argue, would help the media and entertainment industry tackle piracy in foreign jurisdictions more effectively.

The executive said, “The government should appoint a nodal officer for a one-point contact to tackle piracy globally. The idea is to make the media and entertainment industry a global soft power.”

The push comes against the backdrop of growing enforcement actions in neighbouring markets. In Sri Lanka, authorities recently raided 60–80 establishments across northern and northeastern regions, including Jaffna, seizing equipment used to distribute illegal Indian satellite television services.

Officials there have reiterated that accessing or paying for Indian DTH services violates local telecommunications laws. Investigations revealed that services from operators such as Sun Direct, Videocon d2h, Tata Sky, and Dish TV India had been illegally distributed, resulting in millions of rupees in unlawful financial flows.

The problem is not limited to South Asia. Broadcasters point to a sharp rise in piracy-linked operations in the Middle East as well. In a recent crackdown, law enforcement agencies in the UAE raided an alleged rogue IPTV provider, seizing boxes carrying as many as 12,000 pirated premium channels and content streams sourced from multiple rightsholders. 

Earlier, JioStar had taken its anti-piracy efforts global, highlighting the scale and sophistication of such networks.

Industry executives warn that the smuggling of Indian DTH set-top boxes into countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan has become more organised. 

A senior broadcast executive said, “In many cases, only the compact STBs are transported across borders to avoid detection, while locally sourced or Chinese-made dish antennas are used to receive signals. Pakistan, in particular, has seen installations of such systems on rooftops, enabling unauthorised access to Indian television channels.”

Broadcasters also say that the current anti-piracy framework led by the MIB is too narrowly focused on digital piracy and movie leaks, largely coordinated through the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). 

They argue that this mandate must be expanded to include cable television and over-the-top (OTT) platforms, given the convergence of piracy across distribution technologies.

Among the key measures proposed by the industry are mandatory geo-blocking of STBs, robust KYC norms, stronger coordination with customs and border security agencies to curb smuggling, and the creation of a centralised enforcement and monitoring mechanism to enable real-time action across jurisdictions. 

They have also recommended broadening the composition of the anti-piracy task force to include stakeholders from broadcast, cable, and OTT sectors.

With international piracy rings becoming more sophisticated and cross-border leakages rising, broadcasters caution that delays in regulatory intervention could significantly impact legitimate revenues and undermine India’s media and entertainment ecosystem.