Rs 80 crore burden: Broadcasters tell MIB to waive live uplinking fee on non-news channels

Broadcasters have urged the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to scrap the processing fee for temporary live uplinking of events by non-news television channels, flagging an estimated annual burden of Rs 80 crore on the industry. 

The broadcasters argue that the levy, imposed over and above spectrum usage charges, is making live event coverage increasingly expensive, discouraging telecasts of emerging and regional sporting competitions, and undermining the government's push to position India as a major destination for live sports and entertainment events.  

Under the Draft Telecommunications (Television, Radio and Associated Services) Rules, 2026, the fee is Rs 1 lakh per television channel per day for national channels and Rs 50,000 per channel per day for regional channels when DSNGs are used. 

Broadcasters have sought complete removal of the fee, arguing that it lacks proportionate regulatory justification and makes live telecasts of sporting, cultural and entertainment events less viable.

Broadcasters question rationale behind the levy

Historically, no such temporary live-uplinking fee applied to non-news channels, including those carrying live sports. The requirement followed a ministry notice dated December 11, 2017, which informed broadcasters that a processing fee would be payable per channel, per day. The stated rationale was that live telecasting changed a channel's character from general entertainment to current affairs.

“A live sports match or cultural programme does not change the fundamental character of a general entertainment channel. The nature of a channel should not be judged by an occasional live telecast,” a senior broadcaster familiar with the industry's concerns said.

They also point out that the processing fee is payable over and above spectrum usage charges paid to the Department of Telecommunications for temporary uplinking, adding to the overall cost of transmission.

Sports broadcasting among the worst affected

The impact, broadcasters say, is particularly acute in sports. Live coverage is central to sports broadcasting, leaving channels little flexibility to avoid transmission when costs rise. General entertainment channels, by contrast, can choose not to carry a concert, festival or other event if the economics do not work.

“Established properties may absorb the cost, but smaller competitions cannot. When every channel and day attracts a separate fee, regional and less commercially attractive events are often the first to disappear from television,” another broadcaster said.

The industry argues that the levy discourages investment in emerging, regional and non-mainstream sporting properties. While established sports may have sufficient commercial appeal to absorb additional costs, smaller disciplines often operate with limited broadcast revenues, audiences and sponsorship opportunities.

The industry says the fee has also affected live entertainment. Since its introduction in 2017, several non-news channels, particularly general entertainment channels, have curtailed or discontinued live coverage of entertainment events in India because of the additional expense.

Concerns over India's live events ecosystem

Broadcasters say the levy sits uneasily with government efforts to promote India's live events sector through simplified permissions and infrastructure development. Television can extend the reach of sporting and cultural events nationally and internationally, helping position India as a destination for international artists and performers.

“A channel may want to show a two- or three-hour inter-college match or swimming competition, but the fee and compliance process can make coverage commercially unviable. These are precisely the events that need visibility if participation is to grow,” a broadcaster said.

Removing the fee, broadcasters believe, would allow channels to take more risks on disciplines beyond established commercial properties, including grassroots, university-level, indigenous and regional sports.

Broadcasters seek parity and regulatory clarity

The industry has also sought parity with categories of channels exempt from the processing fee, including news and devotional channels. Broadcasters question why sports and other non-news channels should face an additional charge for temporary live uplinking solely because of their genre.

The revised draft has prompted a technical concern as well. Schedule 3, Section A, Point 6, dealing with other fees, does not expressly refer to Rule 24(6)(a), which broadcasters say creates ambiguity about the total amount payable. The processing-fee requirement is also contained in Appendix I of the Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines.

Industry questions need for separate permissions

Broadcasters have questioned whether separate permission and charges for temporary DSNG uplinking remain necessary. They say alternative technologies can make live feeds available to channels, while digital and social media platforms carry live content without comparable MIB permission, intimation or processing fees.

They have asked the ministry to discontinue both the processing fee and associated permission requirement for temporary live uplinking using DSNGs.

The industry argues that a per-channel, per-day charge can multiply when an event is carried by multiple channels or runs across several days. This structure, they say, disproportionately affects events with limited commercial returns rather than larger, established properties.

Broadcasters believe removing the levy would reduce financial and procedural burdens, encourage wider coverage of sporting and cultural events, improve audience access and strengthen India's live events ecosystem. 

The ministry's decision will be closely watched by broadcasters and event organisers, particularly those seeking television exposure for smaller competitions and emerging sporting properties.