I&B Ministry
Total number of private TV channels in the country goes up to 821
NEW DELHI: The number of permitted satellite television channels has jumped to 821 by November-end from 798 in July following streamlining of clearance procedures by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
These include 404 news and current affairs channels and 417 general entertainment channels.
The statistics show that 693 channels (including 382 news channels) are permitted to uplink and downlink from within the country, while 93 (including 16 news channels) are uplinked from overseas and downlinked into India and 35 (including six news channels) are uplinked from India for beaming overseas and not in the country.
Some of the new entrants over the past few months have been the GEC Epic TV, Bengali Orange TV. Luck TV; the non-news Sairam TV; Bhojpuri Cinema TV, the non-news Tamil Meenakshi TV; the non-news Blue TV in Hindi, English, Punjabi and regional languages; the news Janam TV, INE Live, and Kalinga TV in scheduled languages.
This apart, Times Television Network (TTN) has also got three new licences: Times Now 2, Times Now 3 and ET Now 2.
The biggest gainer is the Star Network with Star Cricket Asia, Star Sports Highlights, Star Sports HD3, Star Sports HD4, Star Sports HD2, Star Sports HD1, Star Sports 3, Star Sports 4, Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 1 in all permitted languages under the Constitution.
The year 2014 has thus seen the clearance to more than 25 channels.
To expedite the process which had remained stagnant after March-end, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry now holds the Open House meetings with stakeholders two times every month instead of once.
The Ministry also placed on its website the names of the companies which own these channels, the language, and the date when permission was granted.
I&B Ministry
Doordarshan, ICCR sign MoU to boost global reach of Indian culture
Pact taps TV, radio and digital platforms to take cultural content worldwide
NEW DELHI: In a move aimed at taking India’s cultural story further across borders, Doordarshan under Prasar Bharati has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations to expand the global reach of Indian cultural content.
The agreement, signed on April 7 at Doordarshan Bhawan, brings together the content strength of ICCR and the wide broadcast network of Doordarshan, spanning television, radio and digital platforms.
Under the partnership, ICCR will provide a steady stream of cultural programming, including performances and events organised by Indian missions abroad such as embassies, consulates and cultural centres. Doordarshan will handle production, coverage and distribution, ensuring that these programmes find audiences not just in India but across the world.
The collaboration also opens the door for recorded cultural content from overseas missions to be aired across multiple platforms, including OTT and social media, making Indian art, music and heritage more accessible to global viewers.
A notable feature of the MoU is joint ownership of content rights in perpetuity, including digital rights. This allows both organisations to archive and reuse material over time, building a long-term cultural repository while maximising reach. Doordarshan will also support pre-event promotion and cross-platform visibility to drive engagement.
Speaking at the signing, Doordarshan director general K. Satish Nambudiripad and Indian Council for Cultural Relations director general K. Nandini Singla highlighted the potential of the partnership to strengthen India’s cultural diplomacy through modern media channels.
The agreement, initially valid for three years, also allows Doordarshan to explore monetisation opportunities from the content generated, adding a commercial layer to cultural broadcasting.
As India looks to blend tradition with technology, this partnership signals a clear intent to make its cultural voice not just heard, but seen and streamed across the globe.
