MIB issues draft guidelines for OTT platforms to support specially impaired users

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has released draft Guidelines for Accessibility of Content on Platforms of Publishers of Online Curated Content (OTT platforms) for persons with hearing and visual impairments, inviting public consultation from October 7, 2025.

The draft has been framed in line with constitutional guarantees under Article 14, India’s commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, and the Code of Ethics prescribed under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, notified under the IT Act, 2000.

The proposed guidelines seek to make audio-visual content on OTT platforms accessible to users with hearing and visual impairments and outline a two-phase implementation schedule.

The ministry had earlier notified Accessibility Standards for Persons with Disabilities in Television Programmes for the Hearing Impaired on September 11, 2019. Part 12 of these standards mandates a phased rollout of access services, beginning with the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati, followed by private broadcasters and private news channels.

This information was shared by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L. Murugan in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, in response to questions raised by Smt Sangeeta Yadav, Dr Medha Vishram Kulkarni and Shri Deepak Prakash.