New Delhi: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has released the list of permitted private Satellite TV channels as on 28th February 2018, in which 875 private TV channels have been permitted by the authority. This is comprised of 388 news and current affairs channels and 487 non-news and current affairs channels.
It is observed that as on 31 December 2017, 877 private TV channels were permitted and permission for two TV channels has been cancelled by the I&B Ministry as on 28th February 2018, out of which one channel happens to be news and current affairs and another one non-news and current affairs channel.
So far permission has been granted in 1,101 TV channels out of which permission for 226 TV channels has been cancelled and hence there are 875 TV channels holding valid license in India as on 28th February 2018. Discovery JEET and D Sports HD are the two channels granted permission in 2018 so far.
Of the 875 permitted private TV channels, 774 channels are eligible to both uplink and downlink in India of which 368 TV channels news and current affairs channel and 406 are non news and current affairs channels. 16 private channels were permitted only to uplink from India, not permitted to downlink in India. Five of these channels were news and current affairs channels and 11 were non news and current affairs channels. The total number of private channels that are permitted only to downlink to India was 85 of comprising of 15 news channels and 70 non news channels.
The MIB had issued licenses to 45 channels in the year 2017 and as on 28th February the authority has issued license to 1,101 private satellite TV channels.
