CBC puts 90 private TV channels on deadline for fresh empanelment

The Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) has put 90 private cable and satellite television channels on a fresh deadline to complete their empanelment process, warning that failure to submit deficient documents could lead to their de-empanelment.

In an advisory issued on October 1, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's advertising arm said the fresh empanelment of the 90 channels remains pending because the broadcasters have not submitted the requisite documents.

The channels have been given until October 21 to upload the deficient documents through their respective login areas on the CBC's enterprise resource planning (ERP) portal. The advisory follows an earlier communication issued by the bureau on August 5 regarding the empanelment process.

The October 1 advisory effectively gives the channels another opportunity to complete their documentation before the CBC takes further action. The bureau has explicitly stated that failure to upload the required documents within the deadline may result in de-empanelment.

The move is significant for private broadcasters because CBC empanelment is linked to their eligibility for government advertising released through the bureau. For channels that depend on government advertising as part of their revenue mix, particularly regional and smaller broadcasters, losing empanelment can potentially affect their access to such advertising campaigns.

The CBC, however, has not specified in the advisory what documents are deficient for each of the 90 channels. Instead, it has directed the concerned channels to access their individual accounts on the CBC ERP portal and submit the required documents.

The list includes a mix of national, regional and language-specific television channels spanning news, entertainment, movies and music.

Among the channels named are News Tamil 24x7, Showbox, Filamchi Bhojpuri, Gubbare, Hindi Khabar, MBC TV, News World, Saam TV Marathi, Assam Talks, Khushboo Bangla, ISPN News and Dailypost.

The list also includes channels from some of the country's largest television networks, including Colors Kannada, Star Gold Select, Star Kiran, Star Vijay Super, Asianet Plus, Asianet HD, Asianet Movies, National Geographic Channel HD, Disney Channel HD and Comedy Central HD.

Several regional channels from southern India also feature prominently in the list, including Sun Music, Chutti TV, Adithya TV, Sun Life, Udaya News, Udaya TV, Udaya Movies, Udaya Music, Udaya Comedy, Gemini TV, Gemini Music, Gemini Comedy, Surya TV, Surya Movies, Gemini Life, Sun Bangla, Surya HD, Sun Music HD, Gemini Movies HD and Gemini TV HD.

Other channels listed include Naxatra News, Kolkata TV, ITV News, Hornbill TV, IND 24, Sahara Samay UP Uttarakhand, Channel 36 UP/UK, Punjabi Hits, Pitaara TV, Ishwar Bhakti and Maa Music.

The presence of both large network-owned channels and smaller regional broadcasters indicates that the pending documentation is not limited to one category of television operator.

The CBC's action also comes at a time when the television industry is dealing with continued pressure on traditional advertising revenues and a broader shift in audience consumption towards digital and connected-TV platforms. For broadcasters, government advertising remains one of the revenue sources available through the established television advertising ecosystem.

For the 90 channels, the immediate requirement is therefore procedural but carries a potentially significant commercial consequence. They must complete the documentation process by October 21 or risk losing their empanelment status.

The October deadline also puts the spotlight on the CBC's process of renewing or freshly empanelling private television channels and its insistence on complete documentation before channels can continue to participate in the government's advertising ecosystem.