I&B Ministry
I&B ministry asks TV channels to publicise travel advisory for COVID-19 affected countries
MUMBAI: The deadly corona virus with its epicentre in Wuhan, China has slowly crept into several parts of the world. Just this week, cases of Indians who have contracted this infectious disease came to light and put the government on alert. The health ministry has finally issued an advisory regarding Covid-19 and the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has requested the electronic media to help spread the message.
“Electronic media has always been in the forefront to carry such message as it is a powerful tool to reach out to the people across the country. In order to make this effort successful, it has been felt that support, assistance and contribution of TV channels and FM radio channels will be of immense use,” the advisory reads.
The following are the tickers TV channels are advised to carry:
1. Indian citizens are advised to refrain from travel to China, Iran, Republic of Korea, Italy and Japan.
2. Indian citizens are advised to avoid travel to other COVID-19 affected countries.
3. Passengers coming from abroad to India need to furnish duly filled self-declaration form and travel history to health and immigration officials at all ports and airports.
4. For any health-related query call at ministry of health and family welfare, GOI’s 24X7 control room number +91-11-23978046 or email at ncov2019@gmail.com.
“Keeping in view the significance and meaningfulness of this cause, all private satellite news TV channels and their associations are requested to give adequate publicity to the revised travel advisory issued by the ministry of health and family welfare,” it adds.
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati sets EPG standards for DD Free Dish platform
New specs define 7-day guide, LCN mapping, and device compatibility.
MUMBAI: Your TV guide just got a backstage pass structured, scheduled, and far more in sync. Prasar Bharati has released detailed technical specifications for Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services on DD Free Dish, laying down a standardised framework for how channels and programme information are organised and delivered. At the core of the update is a defined EPG data structure, covering genre-based categorisation, scheduling formats, and Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). The aim is simple: make navigation less guesswork and more guided experience across the platform’s over 40 million households.
The specifications also introduce a seven-day programme guide window for each channel, alongside clear rules for channel grouping and LCN mapping effectively deciding not just what you watch, but how easily you find it.
On the technical front, the document outlines requirements for Program Specific Information (PSI) and Service Information (SI), including descriptor usage across tables such as PAT, BAT and NIT. It further details service lists and network linkage parameters, giving OEMs and developers a clearer blueprint for integration.
Importantly, the framework is designed to work seamlessly with television sets equipped with in-built satellite tuners, enabling users to access DD Free Dish directly without additional hardware, an incremental but meaningful step towards simplifying access.
The platform will continue to operate on GSAT-15 transponders, using MPEG-4 compression and DVB-S2 transmission standards, ensuring continuity even as the interface evolves.
While largely technical, the move signals a broader push towards standardisation and user-friendly discovery in India’s free-to-air ecosystem because sometimes, the real upgrade isn’t what’s on screen, but how easily you get there.
