I&B Ministry
AIR appoints releaseMyAd as its first virtual agency
MUMBAI: All India Radio (AIR) has joined hands with releaseMyAd as its first ever virtual advertising agency, which is authorised to accept and process radio advertisement bookings for its network of stations.
AIR’s stations include Akashvani, Vividh Bharati, FM Rainbow and FM Gold.
As one of the country’s foremost welfare awareness medium, AIR’s reach surpasses that of any other private FM station.
To reinforce its presence in the virtual world, releaseMyAd.com will meet AIR’s twin objectives of optimum inventory utilisation as well as revenue augmentation.
The facility allows advertisers to book ads online across all channels of AIR with a mouse-click. As an online media option, releaseMyAd makes mass media advertising options accessible to all by effectively matchmaking between media owners and advertisers.
Talking about the initiative, AIR additional director general Amitabh Shukla said, “This initiative, a part of AIR’s ambitious web-enabled services for its patrons will not only assist us in adequate utilisation of last minute inventory that goes wasted if not put to use but will also fetch us valuable extra revenues.”
“AIR is an extensive government owned network that has exclusive rights over communications by every ministry. Be it the Parliamentary talk, World Cup commentary or the Prime Minister’s monthly address, this is the only platform that gives access to these. We want to help advertisers to capitalise on AIR’s monopoly on content that is news, sports or common welfare driven. It has such wonderful properties and scope to offer. We shall now play a significant part in communicating its vision and enabling whatever opportunities it has to offer,” added releaseMyAd founder Sharad Lunia.
AIR has complete national reach from the main urban centres to the tier 3 cities and even the most far flung rural sections of the country with its three tier broadcasting system. With its concept of local radio constituting the third tier of broadcasting, there are stations in all district headquarter towns.
However, accessing businesses in the farthest corners who could utilise the radio for advertisements becomes very difficult for AIR. Moreover, given their location, the business owners too don’t end up reaching out to the relevant sources for the purpose.
“Even seasoned advertisers who want to advertise on AIR are not too sure about how to reach out to them. It is not possible for Prasar Bharati to set up offices in every nook and corner of its broadcast boundaries. ReleaseMyAd will now do the needful to bridge this huge gap between businessmen and their remotely situated target groups,” Lunia added.
At a time when the country is riding a huge startup tide that is slowly transforming the landscape, this move on the AIR’s part will help the new wave of enterprises effectively reach out to audiences in every nook and corner of India.
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.
