I&B Ministry
MIB permits Sun TV, Star India to rename channels
MUMBAI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has approved a total of four applications from Star India and Sun TV to rename their channels.
The newly renamed channels are Star Sports 1 Bangla, Star Sports 1 Marathi, Sun Marathi and Sun Bangla.
In a bid to showcase animated movies to the viewers, Star India had earlier planned to launch Star Movies Kids SD and HD, which has now been renamed to Star Sports 1 Marathi.
Star Sports 1 Bangla launched on 5 March with an MRP of Rs 19. Apart from this, the broadcaster had launched three more channels—Star Sports 3, Star Sports 1 Telugu and Star Sports 1 Kannada.
Likewise, Sun TV got the nod from MIB to rename Udaya News and Gemini News to Sun Marathi and Sun Bangla respectively. Earlier, it was reported that Sun TV Network will be investing Rs 300 crore in the coming years to launch regional channels in Bengali and Marathi. While the Bengali channel was to go on air from February onwards, the Marathi channel will be up in a year's time.
So far, Sun TV has been focused on the five South Indian states — Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana — and has 33 channels.
Sun TV group CFO S L Narayanan said, "After the launch of the Bengali channel, the Marathi channel is expected to be launched in the next one year. Both of these channels are expected to achieve their break-even in two years of operations."
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati sets EPG standards for DD Free Dish platform
New specs define 7-day guide, LCN mapping, and device compatibility.
MUMBAI: Your TV guide just got a backstage pass structured, scheduled, and far more in sync. Prasar Bharati has released detailed technical specifications for Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services on DD Free Dish, laying down a standardised framework for how channels and programme information are organised and delivered. At the core of the update is a defined EPG data structure, covering genre-based categorisation, scheduling formats, and Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). The aim is simple: make navigation less guesswork and more guided experience across the platform’s over 40 million households.
The specifications also introduce a seven-day programme guide window for each channel, alongside clear rules for channel grouping and LCN mapping effectively deciding not just what you watch, but how easily you find it.
On the technical front, the document outlines requirements for Program Specific Information (PSI) and Service Information (SI), including descriptor usage across tables such as PAT, BAT and NIT. It further details service lists and network linkage parameters, giving OEMs and developers a clearer blueprint for integration.
Importantly, the framework is designed to work seamlessly with television sets equipped with in-built satellite tuners, enabling users to access DD Free Dish directly without additional hardware, an incremental but meaningful step towards simplifying access.
The platform will continue to operate on GSAT-15 transponders, using MPEG-4 compression and DVB-S2 transmission standards, ensuring continuity even as the interface evolves.
While largely technical, the move signals a broader push towards standardisation and user-friendly discovery in India’s free-to-air ecosystem because sometimes, the real upgrade isn’t what’s on screen, but how easily you get there.
