Parliament Question: OTT accessibility standards for persons with disabilities

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3920 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.03.2026 OTT ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

3920. SMT. MAYA NAROLIYA:

(a) whether there is a proposal to make it mandatory for Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms to comply with accessibility standards for hearing and visually impaired persons under the draft guidelines issued in December, 2025;

(b) whether Government is considering making amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, to include mandatory features such as audio description, closed captioning, and sign language for digital content;and

(c) if so, the details of the proposed accessibility requirements and the timelines set for their implementation and compliance by OTT platforms? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (DR. L. MURUGAN)

(a) to (c):

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued Guidelines for Accessibility of Content on Platforms of Publishers of Online Curated Content (OTT Platforms) for Persons with Hearing and Visual Impairment on 06.02.2026.

The guidelines are available for public access at Ministry’s website under following path:

https://mib.gov.in→ Home →Documents →Acts, Policies & Guidelines The guidelines aim to ensure that audio-visual content on OTT platforms is accessible to persons with hearing and visual impairment and provide for an implementation schedule.

The Guidelines mandate that all newly published content on OTT platforms shall carry at least one accessibility feature each for hearing-impaired (Closed Captioning /Open Captioning/ Indian Sign Language) and visually impaired viewers (Audio Descriptors) as per the prescribed implementation schedule.

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