I&B Ministry
I&B releases public interest ads for CAS in Mumbai
MUMBAI: The ministry of information and broadcasting seems to be pretty serious about the new conditional access system (CAS) deadline.
The ministry has released 25*4 col cms ads in all the major newspapers in Mumbai. The copy says “from 1 September 2003, every cable operator will transmit/re-transmit every pay channel through a set top box (STB) in the areas of metro city of Mumbai. Introduction of CAS will protect viewers from arbitrary and frequent hikes, as was being observed earlier with the monthly subscription rates.”
The ad says that no STB will be required to watch free-to-air channels as these channels will be received in the manner signals are received in the pre-CAS era. It also adds that FTA channels will be receivable within a maximum price of Rs 72 plus taxes.
The ad urges viewers to demand the details of the pay TV prices and schemes for STBs from their cable operators. It also counsels the viewers that STBs will give them a choice of viewing a pay channel so that they choose the channel they wish to watch after knowing its price. “The STB will empower you to shut out the content that you don not wish your family to watch,” it informs viewers.
The ad also gives the following contact details of MSO Helplines:
* SitiCable – 56936343 www.info@galaxy.com
* INCableNet – 1-600-223456 www.incablenet.com
* Hathway – 22885866 www.hathway.net
The Greater Mumbai municipal council areas that have been specified in the notification include:
the area to the west of the mainline of central railway between Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) and Sion railway station; the area from Navy Nagar in the south of Mumbai to CST railway station in the north including Ballard Estate, Colaba, RC Church, World Trade Centre, Nariman Point, Cuffe Parade, Bombay Stock Exchange area, Fort, Fountain, Horniman Circle, Prince of Wales museum, Reserve Bank of India, Churchgate, Shahid Bhagat Singh road, Town Hall, Madam Cama Road, Veer Nariman road, Mahatma Gandhi road, Dr Dadabhai Nauroji road, Marine Lines, Charni Road, Kalbadevi, Thakurdwar, Girgaum, Walkeshwar, Napean sea Road, Cumbala Hill, Malabar Hill, Grant Road, Khetwadi, Breach Candy, Peddar road, Haji Ali, Mahalaxmi, Worli, Tardeo, Altamount road, Dr Dadasaheb Bhadkamkar road, Sardar Vallabhai Patel road, Saat Raasta, Lala Lajpatrai road, Mahalaxmi Race Course road, Dr Annie Besant, NM Joshi, Gokhale road, Dr Moses road, Prabhadevi, Dadar (west), Shivaji Park, Cadell road, Lady Jamshedji road, Sitladevi road, Mahim, general Arunkumar Vidya marg; the Sion-Bandra Link road and Mahim causeway on the northern side.
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.
