PM Modi promises to look into issues faced by news broadcasters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who met News Broadcasters and Digital Association (NBDA) members on Tuesday, has promised to look into the challenges being faced by the TV news industry, said sources aware of the discussions. He also asked the NBDA members to send a list of the problems being faced by them along with their likely solutions, said one of the sources.

"It was a good meeting wherein a lot of issues pertaining to the industry were discussed," the source added.

The meeting, which lasted for over an hour, also had I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in attendance.


The TV news industry, which has been experiencing declining revenues and rising costs, has sought a favourable regulatory climate in light of the challenges faced by them due to the rise of digital.

According to the FICCI-EY report 2024, TV news viewership remains over 30% lower than its 2020 levels despite growing 11% in 2023. News consumption, it added, has significantly moved to multiplatform with digital news reaching 456 million users.

The NBDA's laundry list of issues included the draft broadcast bill, which is still in the consultation stage, and IT Rules 2021, among others.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the NBDA said that the delegation informed the Prime Minister regarding the health of the news broadcast industry, constraints, problems, and challenges faced in the era of digital revolution which was severely impacting and affecting the growth of the ‘News’ genre.