DTH
Medialink launches broadband direct-to-consumer distribution platform
MUMBAI: Accelerating its expansion into broadband programming, Medialink Worldwide Incorporated launched a suite of consumer services that delivers client content in multiple formats to the public via the internet and a host of mobile media-playing devices. By offering direct-to-consumer content, Medialink greatly expands the reach of its traditional analog and digital satellite delivery to broadcasters.
The multimedia assets available on the Medialink network cover a broad range of topics including product launches, new developments in technology and medicine, as well as mergers and acquisitions on behalf of its nearly 3,000 communications clients at corporations, associations and not-for-profit organisations.
Medialink’s rich media content may now be accessed directly by the public via domestic and international video and audio podcasts on web directories such as Yahoo! Podcasts, searchable video segments on Google Video, satellite radio, and as streaming media that is syndicated on thousands of popular websites and specially distributed to top market local television station websites nationwide.
“Today’s multi-screen world creates breathtaking opportunities for professional communicators to instantly and easily share vivid images and sounds of a new car launch, a film premiere or a business leader’s insight directly with consumers. It is a very exciting era for Medialink, as we establish the editorial and production standards that empower our public relations and marketing clients to exploit modern technologies to tell their stories. Clients benefit from Medialink’s expertise in conveying news about products or issues in the brief, visually-evocative and informative model we have perfected over 19 years, which is the ideal format for this new generation of direct media and peer-to-peer communication,” said Medialink president, CEO and chairman Laurence Moskowitz.
“With broadband use achieving critical mass, Medialink now augments its offering to help our clients in PR, corporate communications and marketing extend their reach and increase their return-on-investment, while addressing the anticipated growth in consumer demand for high-quality multimedia content. Through Medialink’s suite of broadcast and
broadband distribution services, communications professionals can more fully leverage the value of their video, audio, print or images to achieve high-impact results with their target audiences in newsrooms, board rooms or living rooms” said Medialink chief operating officer Larry Thomas.
A video podcast featuring Tiger Woods that is currently available on the Medialink digital network is an example of the multimedia assets that can now be accessed directly by consumers. The segment was produced for Medialink’s client, General Motors, in support of a new promotion for its Buick brand.
DTH
Prasar Bharati’s WAVES earns Rs 2.9 crore in first year
Platform scales content, users but monetisation gaps limit revenue growth.
MUMBAI: Big waves, small ripples at least for now. When Prasar Bharati launched its OTT platform WAVES at the 55th International Film Festival of India in November 2024, it pitched a bold vision: a homegrown rival to global and domestic streaming giants, blending video, audio, gaming and commerce into a single digital ecosystem. Five months into FY2024–25, however, the platform’s revenue stands at just Rs 2.90 crore, a figure that underscores the gap between ambition and monetisation.
On paper, WAVES looks anything but modest. The platform has ingested 13,608 titles, totalling 9,495 hours of content, with over 13,000 titles already live. It has streamed more than 575 live events from the Mahakumbh Amrit Snan and the 76th Republic Day parade to the Hockey India League, Kabaddi World Cup and Mann Ki Baat while offering 74 live TV channels and 12 radio channels. With over 10 lakh registered users and more than 200 content partners onboarded, the scale resembles that of a fully operational streaming service rather than a pilot project.
The architecture supporting this scale is equally robust. Built under Prasar Bharati’s Central Archives vertical, WAVES runs on a cloud-based infrastructure with DRM, encryption and an integrated analytics dashboard. It includes dedicated units for content ingestion, quality control, publishing, graphics, marketing and billing, and is distributed across platforms such as OTTplay, Tata Play and BSNL. The offering extends beyond video to include audio-on-demand, e-games and even e-commerce via ONDC integration.
Yet, the numbers reveal a core disconnect. Despite its scale, WAVES generated just Rs 2.90 crore in a market where India’s OTT industry crossed Rs 23,000 crore in 2024. A key bottleneck lies in monetisation infrastructure: subscriptions cannot currently be purchased within the app and must be completed via an external website. In a mobile-first country where over 95 per cent of OTT consumption happens on smartphones, this extra step creates friction that most users are unlikely to overcome.
Ironically, content is not the problem, it is the platform’s biggest strength. Prasar Bharati holds one of the world’s richest broadcast archives, including 45,154 hours of digitised Akashvani programming and 35,723 hours from Doordarshan. For WAVES alone, over 3,800 hours of archival content have been made OTT-ready, including classics such as Ramayan and Shaktimaan, alongside rare cultural recordings and historical broadcasts.
There are early signs that this library holds commercial potential. Revenue from archival content licensing rose sharply to Rs 3.38 crore in FY24, up from Rs 67 lakh the previous year. Meanwhile, free digital platforms continue to drive massive reach, the PB Archives Youtube channel clocked 119.78 million views and added 4,02,000 subscribers in FY2024–25, crossing 1.7 million in total, while DD News has over 5.84 million subscribers.
That, however, presents a strategic dilemma. While free distribution builds scale, it also conditions audiences to expect content at zero cost making it harder to transition to paid models. WAVES, designed as a hybrid AVOD-SVOD platform with advertising and subscription layers, is yet to fully crack this balance.
The broader challenge is not technological but strategic. In an ecosystem dominated by platforms offering seamless payments, aggressive pricing and high-budget originals, WAVES is still bridging the gap between being a content repository and a commercially viable product.
For now, the platform reflects both promise and paradox. It has the scale, the content and the infrastructure but until monetisation catches up, WAVES remains less a revenue engine and more a digital showcase of what India’s public broadcaster could become.
