Political Correspondent: Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Thursday said after forming a committee to formulate a policy on displaying content on Over the Top (OTT) platforms or Internet platforms, another committee will be formed on the process of determining television rating points (TRPs).

While exchanging views with journalists in the meeting room of the Information Ministry here, he told them that the formation of the committee would be finalized by next week.

Noting that the OTT platform is increasingly connected to the country, society and global reality, the information minister said:”Our aim is not to disrupt the platform but to remove the obstacles from it.”

Many times the content of OTT platforms has been seen to be an attempt to destroy the status quo of the state and society, he, also the ruling Awami League(AL) joint general secretary said.

After this happened in India, the government of that country is issuing a notification that all the content of the OTT platform has to go through a kind of sensor based on a policy, he added.

“We don’t want to do that in our country,” Hasan said, adding that “We have met with various stakeholders to ensure that the content displayed on the OTT platform is compatible with our culture, traditions and values.”

Going all the contents through sensor will create obstacles and the manpower required for this is not easy, he said, adding that That is why it requires a policy, in which case legal action can be taken.

He added that that is why a 15-member committee has been formed with public-private partners under the leadership of Additional Secretary (Broadcast) of the Ministry of Information to formulate a policy in this regard.

On TRP issue, the minister said, “We have said before that there is a huge discrepancy in the determination of TRP.”

No non-government organization has the authority to issue TRPs without state permission, so it needs to come under some specific rules, he added.

He informed that the concerned authorities have reviewed and tested the TRP determination method in different countries including India.

“We will form a committee with stakeholders next week to formulate a TRP determination strategy or method. That committee will decide how the TRP will be determined,” he continued.

The government is also dealing with the second wave of corona successfully, Hasan said while responding to Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s remark that the government has failed to control corona.

AL Joint General Secretary said the incumbent government is much more successful than the neighboring countries in controlling COVID-19.