I&B Ministry
MIB awards 14 new provisional MSO licences; no new permanent license
NEW DELHI: Despite the Phase III deadline for Digital Addressable System (DAS) barely two weeks away and the Government’s assertions over this past weekend, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) has granted provisional licences to 14 multi-system operator (MSOs).
However, as per the updated list, the MIB has not granted any new permanent MSO license.
With this, the number of 10-year (permanent) registrations for MSOs remains 230 and the total has only risen by 14 to 567 by including the 337 which got provisional clearance (till 15 December, 2015).
According to the list put on the MIB’s website, Kal Cables of Chennai and Digi Cable Network of Mumbai remain on the cancellation list. Scod 18 Networking Pvt Ltd of Mumbai has also been refused security clearance while SR Cable TV of Bangalore has shut down its business.
The MIB has granted provisional registration to DEN Networks’ Nashik subsidiary DEN Discovery Digital Network for Maharashtra.
On the other hand, Extreme Teleconnect has received pan-India licence. Other MSOs that were granted provisional licences for various districts are: Hindupur Cable TV Operators Welfare Association, RK Digital Cable Service, Srisivakami Amman Cable TV System, Shri Shyam Baba Cable Network, Raj Cable Network, Lonar Cable Network, Srivi Communication, Matarani Cable TV Network, Kulasekharam Television Network, Victoy Digital Network, Jajpur Digital Network Services and Treeshakti Cable Network.
The pace appears particularly sluggish considering that the Home Ministry had announced over five months ago that it was aiming to do away with security clearances for MSOs.
MIB sources told Indiantelevision.com that nothing had been received in writing in this regard from the Home Ministry.
The number of MSOs was 553 by 24 November, having risen from 470 earlier in November, but this increase was merely in those who had provisional licences.
Considering the warning to broadcasters not to give digital signals to unregistered MSOs, the completion of DAS in urban areas by the end of this month appears to be a mammoth task.
The number of provisional licences has also slowed down, considering it had risen from 246 on 10 November to 323 by 24 November (an increase of 77) and has now risen by eleven to 337.
Only three MSOs who had provisional licences have got permanent licence since September this year. Three provisional licensees have been permitted to change their area of operation. Thirteen permanent licensees have been allowed over the past few months to change their areas, of which one has been allowed to add more areas.
The source said many MSOs holding provisional licences had not completed certain formalities relating to shareholders and so on.
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.
