News Broadcasting
No decline in DD viewership in recent years: I&B ministry
Mumbai: There has been no decline in viewership of Doordarshan in recent years, the union information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur told Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Viewership of DD has been unaffected in spite of the increase of private TV channels in the broadcasting space during the past years and fragmentation of audience due to many private TV channels relaying Doordarshan’s live content, he noted.
The Rajya Sabha queried the I&B minister whether DD viewership has been declining sharply in recent years. It also asked for the trend of revenue generation at DD through advertisements during the last three years.
Anurag Thakur supplied Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) data for 22 subscribed standard definition DD channels, out of a total of 36, for the period between 2016 to 2021.
The minister also shared the commercial revenue earned by Doordarshan during the last three years from government and non-government advertising.
The minister stated that public broadcaster Prasar Bharati had taken a number of steps to further increase the viewership of DD channels. This included launching dedicated sports, entertainment and news channels including DD Sports, DD Retro, DD India and DD News. Prasar Bharati also aired the iconic shows “Ramayan” and “Mahabharat” during the 2020 lockdown that led to a record high in TV viewership.
Apart from its TV network, DD has ensured that major live events are also live-streamed on its digital platforms. Recently during Republic Day 2022, it garnered 2.6 crore views on its YouTube platform in comparison to 2.3 crore views on its TV network. “It is evident that the Doordarshan’s viewership on YouTube platform alone was greater than its TV viewership as reported by Barc,” noted Anurag Thakur.
DD visuals were also aired by more than 180 channels across the country from 9:30 a.m to 12 p.m. This further amplified the TV viewership of Republic Day 2022 and led to more than 3.2 billion TV viewing minutes of consumption as per Barc data.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
