I&B Ministry
After I&B notice to channels over 2 ‘liquor ads’, more to follow
The I&B Ministry, which sent showcause notices to four television channels for carrying surrogate advertisements for two liquor brands, is set to “get serious” on a number of other ads.
Notices were sent to Zee, Aaj Tak, Sony and Star, that two advertisements, McDowell’s Mera Number One and Gilby’s Green Label were clear instances of surrogate advertisements. While Zee and Star replied saying they’d taken off the ads, Aaj Tak and Sony will be doing so shortly, ministry officials said.
Four more have drawn the attention of the ministry for which notices are likely to be sent, ministry officials say. The brands under scrutiny are Charms (cigarettes), Smirnoff (vodka), Haywards and Kingfisher (both beer).
The ministry has set up a panel under additional secretary Anil Baijal to look into the matter. The committee can take cognisance suo motu or look into specific complaints that could be construed as violation of the Advertisement Code. The next meeting of the committee is 16 July.
According to ministry officials, Rs 3000 million was what used to be pumped in annually into various TV channels predominantly by liquor companies. Due to the various initiatives taken by the government, this has reduced by 15 to 20 per cent they say.
The government however, is not looking only at cigarette and liquor ads. Once this issue has been dealt with, the government will be looking at other ads as well, the officials say.
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati opens AIR to private content under new policy
NIPP introduces revenue share, sponsored and gratis models
MUMBAI: Radio may be the oldest voice in the room, but it’s learning some very modern tricks. In a bid to stay tuned to changing listener habits, Prasar Bharati has opened the doors of All India Radio to private players under a newly rolled-out content framework. The initiative, titled Notice Inviting Programme Proposals (NIPP), marks a significant shift in how the public broadcaster approaches programming moving from a largely in-house model to a more collaborative, market-aligned ecosystem. Issued by Akashvani’s Directorate General in April 2026, the policy invites private producers, content owners and aggregators to pitch programmes across formats, from radio dramas and documentaries to quiz shows, storytelling and music-led content.
At the heart of the framework lies a three-pronged participation model designed to balance creative freedom with commercial viability. The most prominent route is revenue sharing, where advertising and sponsorship income generated by a programme is split between the producer and the broadcaster. The structure tilts in favour of creators offering a 70:30 split when producers bring in advertising, and 65:35 when monetisation is handled by Prasar Bharati.
Alongside this sits the sponsored model, where producers fully fund and monetise their content, subject to compliance with advertising norms and the AIR Broadcast Code. For those less commercially inclined, a gratis route allows content to be submitted free of cost, with Prasar Bharati retaining all monetisation rights effectively turning the platform into a national distribution channel for diverse voices.
The move comes as legacy media grapples with intensifying competition from private FM networks, streaming platforms and digital audio ecosystems. By repositioning AIR as both a public service broadcaster and a content marketplace, Prasar Bharati appears to be recalibrating its role in a rapidly evolving media landscape.
Importantly, the framework does not dilute editorial control. All submissions must adhere to the AIR Broadcast Code, and proposals are evaluated through a layered process that weighs storytelling quality, production capability, audience appeal and revenue potential. Only proposals crossing a defined threshold move forward, signalling that while access has widened, the bar remains firmly in place.
Operational discipline is another cornerstone of the policy. Producers are required to maintain broadcast-ready content, deliver episode banks in advance and navigate a structured approval process. Crucially, all production costs are borne by the content provider, reinforcing Prasar Bharati’s positioning as a distribution and oversight platform rather than a commissioning entity.
What elevates the initiative further is its scale. The framework spans multiple clusters and stations across India, covering both metro and regional markets, with specific language mandates and submission channels. This not only expands the content pipeline but also deepens linguistic and cultural representation, an area where AIR has historically held an advantage.
In effect, NIPP signals a quiet but meaningful transformation. AIR is no longer just broadcasting to the nation, it is inviting the nation to broadcast with it, blending legacy reach with contemporary content economics in a bid to stay relevant in an increasingly fragmented audio universe.
