A prohibition on airing dubbed programmes on TV creates barriers to entry of new content and hinders competition, the Supreme Court has said.
A Bench led by Justice A.K. Sikri said such a ban would be in violation of the Competition Act of 2002. The court was allowing an appeal of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) against an order of the Competition Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT).
”One can clearly view that prohibition on the exhibition of dubbed serial on the television prevented the competing parties in pursuing their commercial activities. Thus, the CCI rightly observed that protection in the name of the language goes against the interest of the competition, depriving the consumers of exercising their choice,” it said.
The court was dealing with a matter in which the CCI challenged the COMPAT’s order in a case relating to the exhibition of a Bangla-dubbed version of thefamous Hindi serial Mahabharat in West Bengal. Mumbai-based BRTV, the producer of Mahabharat , had entrusted the exclusive rights of the serial to Magnum TV serials to dub the Hindi version to Bangla.
However, the Eastern India Motion Picture Association (EIMPA) and Committee of Artistes and Technicians of West Bengal Film and Television Investors objected to the project.
