Broadcast licences of five channels lapse

NEW DELHI: The permission for uplinking or downlinking given to five television channels has lapsed as they failed to operationalise within the stipulated period of one year.

These channels are: Mallemala, S1 Tadka, Just TV Punjabi, Just TV Music, and Ahimsaa.

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry had found 37 channels failed to become operational even after one year of permission. Apart from the five whose licences lapsed, three had requested for extension of time against notice of cancellation, and 27 TV channels had sought extension for operationalising their channels and they have been asked to submit Performance Bank Guarantee. The permission of two channels has been withdrawn at the request of the concerned companies.

Meanwhile, the government has given permission so far to 833 satellite TV channels to uplink or downlink into the country.

According to the government, 681 television channels were operational in the country in April this year, out of a total of 825 television channels which had been permitted by the government as on 19 January 2012.

A total of 116 channels are still within the prescribed limit of one year for operationalisation under the Uplinking/Downlinking Guidelines.

The country had 430 news and current affairs channels as on 17 November last year including 35 channels of the national broadcaster, Doordarshan.