The Health Minister revised rules under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, of 2004, that anti-tobacco warnings must be displayed on the OTT platform.
As per the notification, if online content shows a smoking/alcohol scene, it is mandatory to display an anti-tobacco 30-second warning clip at the beginning or middle of the programme. the health warning message “Tobacco kills or tobacco causes cancer”
“, should be visible and readable with a black font and white background.
Also, the video, the audio, and the message that is delivered to the audience should be in the same language.
Any type of tobacco product display, including its usage in promotional materials, is strictly prohibited.
According to the senior ministry official, “If the publisher doesn’t follow the provisions of sub-rules (1) and (5), an interministerial committee including the Ministry of Electronics, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting shall take action”.
“The number of OTT streaming viewers has been increasing, especially during COVID.” There are common scenes in today’s movies like students smoking in school, and this causes serious concern”, said Binoy.
In honour of World No Tobacco Day, anti-tobacco messages should be broadcast over the internet, including audio-visual programmes, films, serials, series, and other content.