I&B Ministry
Govt adapting new communication strategies, says I & B minister
NEW DELHI: Minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore today said that the Government has been redefining and adapting the content and information dissemination strategy in accordance with the changing paradigm in communication space, especially in the social media.
Rathore said, due to technology change, information generation pattern and information consumption has changed today. The minister said this after releasing the book “India Connected: Mapping the Impact of New Media” here today. The book has been jointly authored by Dr Shalini Narayanan and Dr. Sunetra Sen Narayanan.
Elaborating, the minister said news broadcasters today were following social media trends for designing debates and discussions on their channels.
Rathore said the Government has been conducting seminars and workshops to train officers in social media with the latest tools and techniques to effectively communicate with citizens.
The book outlines the impact of social media while comparing it with the traditional media. The book flags challenges and opportunities that social media offers in the Indian setting.
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.
