The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has over a week ago granted a Television license to Netlink Technologies Pvt Ltd to operate a new TV channel under ‘Sky TV’ name. The Ministry’s database was updated today with the change.
The license was granted to Netlink Technologies Pvt Ltd on 25th June. Sky TV will be a News channel with I&B Ministry granting it a ‘News’ category TV license. The company is based out of Bhopal and has been granted the license to broadcast in all Indian languages.
The name of the channel while resonates with Sky International AG has nothing to do with it. Trade Mark Registry entries reflect that Sky International AG on 16th October 2019 has objected to the grant of ‘Sky TV’ trademark to the proprietor. The litigation is ongoing in front of the Registrar of Trade Marks, however the I&B Ministry has granted the license amidst the ongoing hearing.
The proprietor had earlier this year filed a counter statement wherein it had stated that Sky TV provided services to its clients in India and abroad with a huge turnover and had invested a huge amount of advertising in publicity of the said mark.
The registered TV license database now stands at 924 at the time of filing this story. The Ministry’s database however remains un updated with major changes which have happened over the past few months not reflecting in the database. Separately, the Ministry has cancelled the license of now defunct MIX, Sony ESPN, and Sony ESPN HD.
