I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati looks at digitizing archives; to seek Rs 250 crore from govt
MUMBAI: Pubcaster Prasar Bharati is taking another stab at digitizing and monetising the huge archival content catalogue that is lying in the shelves of All India Radio and Doordarshan. And it is all set to make a formal request to the ministry of broadcasting and broadcasting (MIB) for nearly Rs 250 crore to help it achieve what it intends to do. It says included in this archive are prominent speeches of national leaders, popular programmes and music.
Prasar Bharati officials recently made a presentation to the MIB enumerating why it needs to do this. Sources say both Doordarshan and All India Radio have millions of hours of both audio and video content. In fact, All India Radio had digitized some of its content around a decade ago and even monetized some of it by selling CDs. The UK pubcaster BBC is amongst the world’s largest exporters of TV content with worldwide sales of around 400 million Euros. If Prasar Bharati manages even 10 per cent of that, it will more than recover its digitization costs.
The problem, however, is that its archive has not been maintained in the best manner and is on beta and VHS tapes, many of which could be damaged or unrecoverable. And some of it could be have been stolen or lost.
It is also looking at drafting a syndication policy to sell its content worldwide to other media outlets or online directly to consumers.
Says a media observer: “Hopefully, it takes up the task seriously this time and the MIB helps it see it through to conclusion. DD is in danger of becoming a dinosaur; digitisation will allow it to bring new legs to old content which a generation has not seen. It could be put out online or on mobile for consumption apart from finding customers for its clips worldwide.”
I&B Ministry
Digital radio, D2M tech set to reshape broadcasting and public messaging
Govt pushes next-gen delivery while TRAI tightens grip on spam ecosystem
NEW DELHI: India’s broadcasting and telecom landscape is undergoing a quiet but significant upgrade, with digital radio and Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) technologies emerging as powerful tools for mass communication, while regulators step up efforts to tackle spam calls.
According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, digital radio and D2M are poised to transform how content reaches audiences by making more efficient use of spectrum. In simple terms, multiple channels can now be delivered over a single frequency, opening the door to a wider range of free-to-air content.
D2M technology takes this a step further by enabling video, audio and data to be broadcast directly to mobile handsets without relying on SIM cards or mobile data. The result is a resilient and cost-effective data pipe that can deliver everything from entertainment and education to critical emergency alerts, even in low-connectivity scenarios.
At the same time, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is tightening its grip on unsolicited commercial communication, better known as spam calls. The regulator has deployed a distributed ledger technology platform to bring transparency and accountability into the system.
Through this blockchain-based setup, consumers can register their preferences on receiving promotional messages, while businesses and telemarketers must also sign up and operate within defined rules. The platform also includes a complaint mechanism that allows users to report spam, with complaints shared across telecom operators for coordinated action.
The government’s broader push is being supported by infrastructure upgrades under the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development scheme. Implemented through Prasar Bharati, the initiative focuses on modernising networks such as Akashvani and Doordarshan, including digitisation and adoption of next-generation broadcast equipment.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting minister of state for information and broadcasting L. Murugan said these steps are part of a larger effort to promote emerging technologies and strengthen the country’s broadcasting backbone. The response came to a query raised by member of Parliament Rao Rajendra Singh.
Together, these developments point to a dual-track strategy: expanding access to reliable, low-cost content while cleaning up the communication ecosystem. As digital pipes get smarter and spam filters sharper, India’s airwaves may soon feel a lot less noisy and far more useful.
