New Delhi- Indian television broadcasters are grappling with over ₹350 crore in unpaid license fees from distributors in Nepal and Bangladesh, raising serious concerns about cross-border broadcasting deals and clean feed agreements.
According to industry executives, the crisis has worsened in the past year, particularly in Bangladesh. Following the ouster of former President Sheikh Hasina, TV distributors in the country have stopped paying Indian broadcasters for airing their channels. In total, Bangladeshi distributors owe more than ₹250 crore, while in Nepal, dues have crossed ₹100 crore.
Indian channels enjoy huge popularity in both countries, leading broadcasters to supply a “clean feed” ad-free live content. However, delays in remittance approvals from Nepal and Bangladesh have left Indian media firms struggling to recover payments.
Diplomatic and political hurdles have further complicated the matter. In Nepal, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology suddenly enforced an “à la carte” pricing system in April 2023, mirroring India’s TRAI New Tariff Order (NTO). Unlike India, where the NTO was implemented after months of consultation, Nepal gave broadcasters only two days’ notice, leaving them unprepared.
Bangladesh’s largest conglomerate, Beximcom, has reportedly failed to secure clearance from the Bank of Bangladesh to release payments to Indian broadcasters. The country’s ongoing political uncertainty has also left little scope for officials to address these commercial disputes.
In 2023, Airtel briefly suspended its telecom link to Nepal over unpaid dues, highlighting the risks of prolonged non-payment. However, industry experts caution that Indian broadcasters cannot take similar steps with their channels. Cutting off feeds may encourage piracy, with distributors in Nepal and Bangladesh potentially using Indian retail signals illegally eliminating any chances of recovering dues and creating barriers to re-entering the market.
The Ministry of External Affairs, along with the Nepalese Embassy and the High Commission of Bangladesh, has so far remained silent on the issue. With Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli scheduled to visit India in September, and Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri recently concluding a trip to Kathmandu, stakeholders are hoping the matter will find a place in upcoming diplomatic discussions.
