Netflix stays away from a self-regulatory body which is in the works, says report

• India is set to open Digital Content Complaints Council, a self regulatory body that will resolve all the complaints related to content viewed on OTT platform.
  
• The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) said it will soon roll out a new content that will provide for the formation of the council, reported MediaNama.
  
• Once formed, the council shall address all the complaints that were not looked at by the OTT platforms.

Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) released its second draft of code of conduct for OTT platforms, reported MediaNama. This code can morph into a self-regulatory body for streaming platforms to address issues and complaints over their content.

Once formed, the Digital Content Complaints Council will be empowered to address complaints from individuals as well as the government - who can approach them online.

“The DCCC’s jurisdiction to entertain complaints will be limited to escalation of unresolved issues pertaining to the following: a. content related; b. incorrect age-classification; c. incorrect content descriptor; and d. parental and/or access controls” the code said.

The code of conduct is signed by major streaming giants including Hotstar, Jio, Network 18, Eros. However, Netflix is yet to sign it.

This may also not be the final version of the content code as IAMAI tried its hand at it earlier too. Previously, all the leading platforms including Netflix, Hotstar, SonyLiv, Zee5 held a discussion with the Indian government over self regulation policies. In January 2019, all the platforms reportedly came together to sign an industry code to self-regulate online content.

OTT platforms in India have been self-regulating themselves for quite some time now - to avoid possible backlash. Amazon Prime Video deleted an entire episode of the CBS political drama Madam Secretary in its India version. The episode contained violent scenes involving Muslims and other minorities in India.

Netflix’s popular Indian series — Sacred Games — landed in a lawsuit after several political parties alleged that the thriller drama has defamed India’s late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

See also:
Disney+ to make its Indian debut on March 29 - as a premium offering on Hotstar
From cuts to deleting an entire episode, here’s how Netflix, Amazon Prime and other streaming services are censoring its own content