India’s satellite TV channels number 821

The number of permitted satellite television channels in India has increased to 821 from 798 in July following streamlining of clearance procedures by the country’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

These include 404 news and current affairs channels and 417 general entertainment channels.

A total of 693 channels were permitted to uplink and downlink from within India as of the end of November 2014, while 93 are uplinked from overseas and downlinked into India. About 35 (including six news channels) are uplinked from India solely for transmission overseas.

More than 25 channels have been cleared by the Indian Government for satellite broadcast during 2014.

To expedite the process the Information and Broadcasting Ministry holds the Open House meetings with stakeholders two times every month instead of once.

The Ministry also placed on its website the names of the companies that own these channels, the language, and the date when permission was granted.