(22 March 2007 8:00 pm)

NEW DELHI: A new business plan was being formulated to improve the revenues from Doordarshan’s DTH service DD Direct but this would not mean any extra burden on the viewers as the platform will remain free-to-air and they will pay only for the initial installation of the dish antennae.

Prasar Bharati Chief Executive Officer B S Lalli told a news conference here that DD Direct – which he claimed was the world’s only FTA DTH Platform - was now carrying a bouquet of 33 channels including 26 of Doordarshan.

He said he had been approached in recent days by five or six private FTA channels wanting to uplink on the platform.
Mr Lalli said the platform which had been functioning successfully for the past two years was being revamped with new channels.

He said the platform had been established to reach uncovered areas of the country, particularly in the northeast.