The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has released updated figures on the status of Multi System Operators (MSOs) in India, offering a revealing snapshot of the sector’s churn and compliance challenges as of March 31, 2025.
According to the latest data, only 845 MSOs remain registered with the Ministry. In contrast, a total of 1,045 MSOs have had their registrations either cancelled, surrendered, expired, or deemed non-operational. This reflects the Ministry’s continued push for stricter compliance and operational transparency in the cable distribution space.
In August 2024, there were over 850 registered MSOs, and a year prior, the number stood at 998.
Read more: 1,159 MSOs licenses cancelled; only 843 registered with I&B Ministry as of Feb’25
In a further crackdown, 114 MSO applications have been rejected or closed by the Ministry over issues such as suppression of vital information, failure to submit documents, negative net worth, or non-payment of processing fees, as of March 31, 2025. The figures highlight the growing regulatory scrutiny within the cable television ecosystem, with the Ministry tightening the noose on non-compliant operators.
One of the terms and conditions of the MSO registration is that MSOs shall comply with the provisions of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act. 1995, and the Rules made there under, as amended and adhered to all the terms and conditions of the registration. Failing to do so, the permission granted is liable to be cancelled or suspended. MSOs are also required to submit a list of their subscribers and other details as per the requests made by the Ministry from time to time.
Further, according to Regulation 15(1) of the Interconnection Regulations, 2017, it is mandatory for every distributor of channels to conduct an audit of their system once in a calendar year; if they fail to do so, they are marked as ‘non-compliant’. Following which, MSOs have to provide the requisite information or make any reference to the Ministry regarding their compliance status. In absence of the same, in exercise of powers conferred under Section 4(7) of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, the MSO registrations of the scheduled MSOs are cancelled with immediate effect.
In the past, via one of its advisories, the Ministry had stated that all MSOs who provide their own programming service to their own subscribers directly or through one or multiple Local Cable Operators must register to the platform services.