IT Rules 2021 — Over the top? Heavy-handed The new rules will hit Indian language OTT players harder - AP× For players in the OTT space, the new rules pose an onerous burden. More stakeholder consultations were needed To regulate or not to regulate? That is the $3-billion question for India’s nascent OTT (over-the-top) market. The industry is the fastest-growing globally with 40+ digital platforms, both domestic and global (PwC). This boom is not accidental. The growth is driven by two factors: heavy consumer demand for content online, and the progressive regulatory environment that helped foster innovations and investments. But the new IT Rules 2021 notification on February 25, 2021 added heavy mandates on this sector that may be too impractical to implement. OTT players, notably smaller domestic ones, will be weighed down by higher administrative costs. And to what end? The rules seem to act as speed-breakers on a runway — working against, and perhaps making it almost impossible to achieve the goal of smooth take-off.