Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (‘TRAI’) on September 22, 2025, released the draft Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Interconnection (Addressable Systems) (Seventh Amendment) Regulations, 2025 (‘Draft Amendments’), to amend the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Interconnection (Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2017. Key highlights of such Draft Amendments include:

i.    Annual Audit Cycle and Scope Revised: The audit of addressable systems (including subscriber management system, conditional access system, etc.) must now be conducted for each financial year (instead of calendar year), with the audit report to be shared with broadcasters by September 30th annually. The annual audit requirement is optional for distributors with an active subscriber base of 30,000 or less as of the last day of the preceding financial year;

ii.   Enhanced Broadcaster Participation in Audit: Distributors must notify broadcasters 30 days in advance of the audit, and broadcasters may depute a representative to attend and provide inputs during the audit process;

iii.  Special Audit and Dispute Resolution: Broadcasters may audit a distributor’s systems once a year if dissatisfied with audit reports or suspect non-compliance and may disconnect signals if the addressable system does not meet specified requirements. The Draft Amendments introduce a structured process requiring broadcasters to specify discrepancies with evidence, allow distributor and auditor responses, and escalate unresolved issues to TRAI, which may permit a special audit at the broadcaster’s cost; and

iv.   Infrastructure Sharing Requirements: The separation/segregation of addressable systems for each distributor sharing infrastructure and clarify watermarking/network logo obligations on shared platforms to allow entity-wise reconciliation.

TRAI has invited comments regarding the Draft Amendments from stakeholders till October 14, 2025.