I&B Ministry
MIB issues 27 new provisional and 3 permanent MSO licenses post August
NEW DELHI: With the deadline of the third phase of digital addressable system (DAS) less than three months away, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has issued 27 new provisional licenses and three permanent licenses for multi system operators (MSOs) across India to operate in the DAS areas.
The new entrants are: (1) Manthan Broadband Services Pvt Ltd, which got the permanent licence for Kolkata Metropolitan under Phase I, for Howrah under Phase II and for Ranchi and all cities/towns in India under Phase III, (2) Saptak Digital, which received permanent licence for the entire West Bengal region, and (3) Shirdi Sai Digital Network for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana under Phase III & IV.
With this, the total number of MSOs that have obtained licences for DAS as on 30 September has gone up to 399.
According to the last list issued on 14 August, the Ministry had registered a total of 349 MSOs, of which 126 were provisional.
Of these 399 MSOs that have received licences for DAS, 226 have 10-year licences, while 173 are provisional since the MIB has still not received any formal communication of the Home Ministry’s decision to do away with security clearances for MSOs.
As of now, four MSOs – Kal Cables of Chennai, Digi Cable Network Pvt Ltd, Scod 18 Networking Pvt Ltd and SR Cable TV Pvt. Ltd. remain on the cancellation list.
Additionally, 11 MSOs, which had earlier been granted permanent licences were permitted to change their areas of operation
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.
