I&B Ministry
DAVP owes electronic and print media Rs 148 crore for govt ads: Rathore
NEW DELHI: A sum of around Rs 36 crore is owed to 271 television channels by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity. DAVP also owed about Rs 111.7 crore to the print media in 35 states and union territories as on 1 April. DAVP being the nodal advertising department for the government of India releases advertisements on behalf of different ministries/departments.
While releasing this information, minister of state for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore told parliament that this payment is due because ministries and departments of the central and state governments do not clear the bills of DAVP in time. In some cases, he said payments to media organizations are not cleared in time due to delayed availability of funds.
“However, DAVP makes constant efforts to urge client ministries/ departments regarding their pendency”, he said.
DAVP releases payments to newspapers and other media organizations, based on the funds released by the client ministries/departments.
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.
