Tobacco warnings now mandatory at beginning, middle of OTT shows: What are the new rules?

For content that displays tobacco products, OTT platforms will be required to attach anti-tobacco health spots for a minimum of thirty seconds each at the beginning and middle of the programme.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | June 1, 2023 11:00 AM IST

2 min read

The government has made it mandatory for OTT platforms to display tobacco-linked health warnings before and during the middle of the streamed content.(Representational photo: Getty/Thinkstock)

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The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday made it mandatory for OTT platforms to display tobacco-related health warnings at the beginning and in the middle of streamed content.

The new rules, announced on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, will take effect in three months.

The details: For content that displays tobacco products or their use, OTT platforms will be required to attach anti-tobacco health spots, lasting a minimum of thirty seconds each at the beginning and middle of the programme, and a static message when the product or its use is shown, as per the news guidelines.

Additionally, an audio-visual disclaimer on the ill-effects of tobacco use, lasting a minimum of twenty seconds each, must be shown at the beginning and middle of the programme.

The online content is further prohibited from including the brands of cigarettes or other tobacco products. The display of tobacco products or their use in promotional materials is also strictly prohibited.

The why: “It is time to create wide awareness among youth and the nation regarding the seriously debilitating and harmful effects of tobacco consumption,” Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said at a hybrid event organised on World No Tobacco Day. Mandaviya asserted that the new OTT guidelines will go a long way to dissuade tobacco consumption.

“Efforts such as these are important as nearly 13.5 lakh deaths every year in the country can be linked in some way to tobacco consumption,” Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan stated.

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The bottom line: If a programme or platform fails to comply with the new guidelines, an inter-ministerial committee with representatives from the Health Ministry, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, will be authorised to take action against violators.

FYI: Health spots and tobacco-related warnings are already mandatory for TV and films.

Read the full report here: World No Tobacco Day: Govt makes display of tobacco warnings mandatory on OTT platforms