I&B Ministry
MIB grants 30 provisional MSO licences on 1 January to push DAS Phase III
NEW DELHI: Even as almost six states now have received two months’ extension from their respective High Courts to implement Phase III of Digital Addressable System (DAS), the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting granted provisional licences to as many as 30 multi-system operators (MSOs) on New Year’s Day (1 January) in a bid to push cable TV digitisation.
With the new licenses granted, the total number MSOs holding provisional licenses has jumped from 382 to 412 in a single day.
An earlier list had put the figure at 382 provisional licensees on 31 December, the day the analogue signals were to be switched off in Phase III that covers all urban areas in the country, showing 45 new MSOs had been added in the last fortnight of 2015.
Adding to the 230, who have 10-year permanent licences, the total number of registered MSOs now goes up to 642.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry website did not display the number of permanent licensees, indicating that the number remains at 230 as it has remained since 20 November.
But this slow pace is in direct contradiction to the fact that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had nearly seven months earlier announced that it was aiming to do away with security clearances for MSOs.
The new licensees covering 11 states include two MSOs namely Hashmee Cable Network and Vaadi Television, who have got provisional licences in Jammu and Kashmir.
The other MSOs are from states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu where the implementation of DAS Phase III has been extended by varying periods. These are: Yuvaraj Cable and Anantha City Digital Comm. Network from AP; Hi – Tech Communication Network from Telangana; Rainbow Digitech, Sangli Media Communication, World Vision Cable Network, Chikhali Cable Network, Shah Cable Network, Shree Balaji Cable Network, TK Cable Network, Alone Cable Network, Amarnath Cable Network and Creative Cable Network from Maharashtra; and Tiruvannamalai Cable Network and Amoga Digital Netcom from Tamil Nadu.
MSOs who have received licenses from the state of Uttar Pradesh are: Netvision Elegant Networks, V.B Distribution Cable Network, Welcome Cable Network and Jagjeet Cable TV Network; from Rajasthan are: Shekhawati Cable Networks, Om Cable Network, Kankroli Digital Network and Jaisal Cable Vision; and from Chhattisgarh are: CCN Digital Network and Vande Mahamaya Cable Network.
Additionally, one MSO each from MP, Haryana and Karnataka namely Yash Cable Network, ABC News Palwal and RST Digital Media Services respectively received the provisional licenses.
The number of MSOs was 612 on 31 December, 567 in mid-December, 553 by 24 November and 470 earlier in November, but this increase was merely in those who have provisional licences.
Sources 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.
