In Brief
The Supreme Court affirmed a High Court decision striking down encryption requirements on cricket broadcasting signals. Under the Sports Broadcasting Signals Act, 2007, content rights holders must share live broadcasts with Prasar Bharati (state broadcaster) for retransmission on its terrestrial and DTH networks only. The Court held that this mandatory sharing obligation does not extend to cable operators beyond Prasar Bharati's own networks. Although cable operators must carry Doordarshan channels under the Cable Act, 1995, this 'must carry' obligation does not expand the 'must share' mandate. The Court affirmed that the two statutes operate independently without cross-controlling effect, protecting both public access to sporting events and legitimate broadcasting rights."/> </invoke>
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