Key Details
TRAI’s 9 October 2026 release announces a draft audit manual for digital rights management (DRM)-based television distribution systems, primarily used in internet protocol television (IPTV). It would guide audits against requirements already set out in Schedule X of the 2017 Interconnection Regulations.
Checks proposed: Clause-by-clause procedures covering subscriber management, encryption and access controls, fingerprinting, and set-top boxes or software applications.
Audits covered: Documentation and procedures for checks before a broadcaster supplies its signal, as well as annual subscription audits.
Common process: Proposed timelines, responsibilities for distributors, broadcasters and auditors, and standard formats for declarations and reports.
Consultation: Stakeholders may submit reasoned comments and supporting evidence by 30 October 2026.
What Is Digital Rights Management in IPTV?
IPTV delivers television channels over internet-protocol networks. Digital rights management (DRM) controls access to those channels and helps prevent unauthorised viewing or redistribution. An audit checks whether that protection works as required and whether the distribution system’s subscriber records can be verified.
The Draft Fills a Gap in Existing Audit Guidance
The 2017 Interconnection Regulations already require annual audits of television distributors’ addressable systems. TRAI issued an audit manual in March 2026 for systems covered by Schedule III, including conventional conditional-access, subscriber-management and set-top-box systems. That manual did not provide equivalent clause-by-clause procedures for DRM-based systems under Schedule X.
Following requests from IPTV operators, broadcasters and auditors, TRAI has now proposed a dedicated manual. The development is therefore a proposed method for carrying out existing audit obligations, not a new requirement to begin annual audits.
Common Checks Could Make Audit Results Easier to Use
The draft specifies what evidence auditors should examine, how checks should be carried out and how findings should be reported. For distributors, this could make audit preparation more predictable. For broadcasters, consistent checks of access controls and subscription information could make reports easier to assess across IPTV platforms. Auditors would have a common procedure rather than having to develop one independently for each DRM system.
Policy Relevance
The consultation is important as technical consistency affects regulatory oversight: an annual audit is more useful when its scope and evidence are clear to everyone involved. The practical issue for TRAI is whether the proposed checks can verify subscriber and content-protection systems without treating every IPTV platform’s software and equipment as identical.
TRAI describes the manual as a draft guidance document. Its procedures should not be presented as final until the authority considers stakeholder comments and issues the completed manual.
Follow the Full Update Here: TRAI’s announcement of the draft DRM-based audit manual