I&B Ministry
MIB show-causes MSOs on incomplete digitisation info
NEW DELHI: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has issued show-cause notices to those MSOs who have failed to provide digitization details to the government, including the number of boxes seeded in their areas of operation.
Quoting earlier government directives, MIB told the errant MSOs today in an official note that they had not submitted details of their headends, subscriber management system, number of mandatory TV channels being carried on their networks, apart from the total number of boxes seeded in the market. This information was to have been uploaded by MSOs at a designated place earmarked by MIB.
“Whereas you have failed to furnish the said details to the Ministry within the stipulated time frame…why not your MSO registration be terminated/canceled?” the government has asked, directing the MSOs to provide the details within 15 days from 31 August 2017.
Officially, the whole country was deemed digital on 1 April 2017, but in private both the government and industry stakeholders opine that pockets of analog TV distribution still persist and boxes are still being seeded in phase IV areas comprising small towns and villages primarily in rural areas and India’s hinterland.
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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.
