I&B Ministry
MSOs meet RS Prasad to discuss CAS today
NEW DELHI: Multi-system operators (MSOs) are meeting the information and broadcasting (I&B) minister Ravi Shankar Prasad around 3.30 pm today on conditional access system (CAS).
One of the demands of the MSOs, according to Zee Telefilms vice chairman and head of Siti Cable, Jawahar Goel, is to extend the duty exemption granted on imports of set-top boxes (STBs).
The second extension of duty exemption on STB imports from the government’s side, with an aim to give a fillip to rollout of CAS, expires on 30 September.
It is not yet known officially what would be the stand of the
government on the STBs’ imports considering the implementation of CAS in all the cities, except Chennai, has got bogged down in political and bureaucratic tangles.
Bowing to political pressures from certain quarters of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the federal government had to denotify Delhi from the CAS rollout road map last month
Following this, Shiv Sena in Mumbai and the West Bengal government too asked for a postponement of CAS in Kolkata and Mumbai. Though, officially CAS is supposed to be in force both in Kolkata and Mumbai as they haven’t been denotified.
It would be known later today, if the government would extend the tax sops on STB imports. Meanwhile, the government is yet to file a reply on a clutch of cases on CAS pending in the Delhi high court. The next hearing is tomorrow.
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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.
