WAVES OTT urged to keep archival content free under new PPV plan

MUMBAI: Paywalls may be coming to WAVES OTT, but Parliament wants the past to remain free. A Parliamentary Standing Committee has asked the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to ensure that archival content on Prasar Bharati’s streaming platform remains available at no charge even as it moves towards a structured pay-per-view model.

In its Thirtieth Action Taken Report, the Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, chaired by BJP MP Dr Nishikant Dubey, acknowledged the government’s plans to introduce a structured pay-per-view (PPV) policy framework for WAVES OTT to make the platform financially sustainable and reduce its dependence on budgetary support.

However, the panel has called for safeguards to ensure that monetisation does not come at the expense of affordability, accessibility or public interest. Its most specific recommendation is that old archival content should remain free of charge.

The committee has also asked the ministry to continuously enrich WAVES OTT’s content library, upgrade its technology and expand its reach, particularly across Tier II, Tier III and rural markets.

The platform has already built a sizeable user base, with more than 11 million app downloads and over 7.3 million registered accounts. Its library currently spans around 18,000 audio-visual titles, comprising more than 12,000 hours of video and audio content in over 12 Indian languages.

WAVES OTT has also moved beyond being a digital home for Doordarshan programming. Its offering includes digitised archival material, government publications, educational resources and proposed citizen-generated content under the MyWAVES initiative. The platform has partnerships with nearly 400 content providers, while adding between 60 and 75 new titles every month.

The ministry told the committee that the Content Sourcing Policy 2024 has streamlined content acquisition for Doordarshan and WAVES OTT by introducing clearer mechanisms for commissioning, licensing, royalties, sponsorship and revenue sharing.

The policy has also enabled Prasar Bharati to source programming from established production houses through a content evaluation and costing framework developed with industry bodies including the Producers Guild of India and FICCI.

A February 2026 addendum further empowered regional Doordarshan channel managers to commission low-cost programming locally, allowing content acquisition to be tailored to regional requirements.

Meanwhile, content proposals under various acquisition models are being invited through the WAVES Bazaar portal, with a dedicated Content Acquisition Portal nearing rollout. The new system is expected to digitise the sourcing process through faceless processing, real-time status tracking and faster decision-making.

Interestingly, the proposed PPV framework itself is also being positioned as a tool for greater transparency and objectivity in deciding which content comes onto WAVES OTT.

The committee’s recommendations extend beyond the streaming platform. It has asked the ministry to prepare a roadmap for periodic reviews of the Content Sourcing Policy and implement 15,000 Content Creation Labs in schools and 500 in colleges under the Indian Institute of Creative Technology initiative.

The panel wants these facilities to help young creators produce content reflecting India’s linguistic and cultural diversity. It has also reiterated its call for faster monetisation of Doordarshan and Akashvani assets through leasing, redevelopment and public-private partnerships.

For WAVES OTT, the challenge now is to find the right balance between subscription-era economics and public-service broadcasting. The platform may be preparing to put a price on parts of its catalogue, but the committee’s message is clear: when it comes to India’s audiovisual memory, some things should remain priceless—and free.