India, Aug. 9 -- As the government mulls creating a statutory framework to regulate "offensive" OTT content, there are three points that need consideration.

The first is parity. Movies screened in theatres and cable TV content are governed under independent laws (the Cinematograph Act, which provides for the film certification board, and the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, respectively). However, OTT content is regulated through a light-touch, three-tiered structure framed in the IT Rules 2021. This structure is premised on self-regulation, by content producers first and self-regulating bodies next, before government oversight kicks in. In sharp contrast is the censorship regime that exists for movies.

That said, there are e...