The Union Health Ministry stated on Saturday that there is no compromise on the Over The Top (OTT) Rules 2023, which mandate that internet streaming platforms include anti-tobacco warnings in their material and threaten legal action in the event of non-compliance.
The ministry referred to a media story that recently claimed that the Union Government had achieved ‘an uneasy compromise’ with OTT (over-the-top) streaming services on adding smoking warnings to their programming as ‘false, misleading, and based on misrepresented facts’ as ‘based on misrepresented facts.’
The article also asserts that as a result of this agreement, certain platforms have chosen to use less obtrusive warnings. ‘The media report is not factually correct and does not reflect the correct picture of the Union Government’s commitment towards improving public health as one of its priority duties,’ the ministry said in a statement.
The government has expanded the COTP (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products) film guidelines to include OTT platforms because it views public health as a top priority. OTT Rules 2023 went into effect on September 1, 2023.
Because it prioritises public health, the government has expanded the COTP (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products) film criteria to cover OTT platforms. On September 1, 2023, the OTT Rules 2023 came into force.
‘By bringing OTT under the tobacco control rules, India has become a world leader in tobacco control measures,’ the statement said.
‘All OTT platforms are required to strictly comply with the provision of the OTT Rules 2023 as it became effective from September 1, 2023. There is no compromise with the rules and action will be initiated by the government for any non-compliance with the rules,’ the ministry said.
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