I&B Ministry
ENIL wins 17 FM channels; HT Media bags Delhi for Rs 169 crore
NEW DELHI: Entertainment Network India Ltd (ENIL) appears to be the largest gainer in the first stage of the FM Radio Phase III e-auctions declared today with 17 channels in its kitty.
HT Media was the bidder for the sole channel in Delhi, which it picked up for a whopping sum of Rs 169.16 crore. HT Media also bagged one of the two channels in Mumbai. The other went to Digital Radio (Mumbai) Broadcasting Pvt Ltd, which an affiliate of Sun TV Network.
On the other hand, ENIL bagged the sole channel in Bengaluru along with two channels in Hyderabad, with one other channel in Hyderabad going to HT Media. ENIL also bagged the sole channel in Guwahati and one of the two in Jammu, the other going to Rajasthan Patrika.
Rajasthan Patrika successfully bid for 14 channels, while Reliance Broadcast Network has got 14 channels and DB Corp Ltd has got 14 channels. Meanwhile, Music Broadcast Pvt Ltd has got 11 channels and HT Media has 10 channels.
The others, who have successful bid are Digital Radio (Delhi) Broadcasting, Digital Radio (Mumbai) Broadcasting, Abhijeet Realtors and Infraventures Pvt Ltd, Renderlive Films and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Sarthak Films Pvt Ltd, Abir Buildcon Pvt Ltd, Mathrubhumi Printing and Publishing Co Pvt Ltd and Odisha Television Ltd.
Bhubaneswar – the city, which got the maximum number of bids, has been bagged by Sarthak Films Pvt Ltd.
The auction was stopped on the 33rd day after just one round, with 97 channels in 56 cities became provisional winning channels with cumulative provisional winning price of about Rs 1156.9 crore against their aggregate reserve price of about Rs 459.8 crore.
The results of 91 channels in 54 cities were declared today (16 September) by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. These results do not include the results of the bids by M/s Sun TV, South Asia FM and Kal Radio in compliance with the orders of the Madras High Court.
The I&B ministry said the Centre had decided to file a special leave to appeal in the Supreme Court against the order of 26 July of the Delhi High Court in the petitions by Digital Radio (Mumbai) Broadcasting Ltd. & Digital Radio (Delhi) Broadcasting Ltd. respectively.
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.
