I&B Ministry
786 licensed Indian channels as on 31 January
MUMBAI: The MIB has released the list of permitted private satellite TV channels in India as on 31 January, 2014.
According to a report published by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry (I&B Ministry), as of 31 January, 2014, the number of permitted private satellite TV channels in the country stands at 786; out of which 389 are news and current affairs channels, while the remaining 397 are non-news and current affairs ones.
An earlier report published by the I&B Ministry pegged the number of permitted private satellite TV channels in India as on 2 December, 2013 at 784, with 395 of these being non-news and current affairs channels, implying two non-news and current affairs channels have been added to the list between 2 December, 2013 and 31 January, 2014.
Out of the 786 channels, 664 TV channels have been permitted for uplink as well as downlink from India. 31 TV channels permitted for uplink but not downlink in India and 91 channels have been permitted only to downlink into India (uplinked from aboard).
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Of the 786 permitted private satellite TV channels in the country, 369 news channels and 295 non-news channels have both up-linking and down-linking permission, four news and 27 non-news channels have permission only to uplink, while 16 news and 75 non-news channels have permission just to down-link
Sometime ago, indiantelevision.com had reported how the I&B Ministry – already under the scanner for being too liberal in issuing licenses to broadcasters – was exercising restraint in a damage control exercise of sorts.
It doesn’t come as a surprise that the Ministry official list released on 20 December, 2012 had 848 permitted private satellite TV channels which has gone down to 786 in the latest list.
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.
