I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati ready for talks with MEN on issue of making DD Sports FTA
NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati is willing to start negotiations with KK Modi company, Modi Entertainment Network (MEN), on the issue of converting national broadcaster Doordarshan’s DD Sports channel into a free to air channel from the existing pay mode.
According to sources in Prasar Bharati, talks have to be held with MEN on the issue as the latter has gone to court over reported remarks on DD Sports to be converted into a FTA channel and got a stay on any such thing happening.
MEN got an ad-interim injunction from the Delhi High Court ordering Prasar Bharati to maintain status quo with respect to its distribution agreement with MEN. As per the suit filed by MEN, it has sought an order restraining Doordarshan from interfering with the distribution of DD Sports channel in digital and encrypted format till 2005 (the period for which the existing contract runs) exclusively within India and neighbouring countries.
The next hearing of this case has been set for 3 December.
MEN’s actions followed recent comments by Prasar Bharati chief executive KS Sarma made to the media in Chennai that the pubcaster was thinking of converting DD Sports into a free to air channel.
Contacted today by indiantelevision.com, MEN chairman Lalit Modi, while admitting that the company has gone to the court, said: “We are open to any negotiations, but no formal communication has come yet from DD or Prasar Bharati.”
MEN has an agreement with Prasar Bharati for the distribution activities relating to DD Sports. Modi added that it was unethical on Prasar Bharati’s part to take a decision to convert DD Sports into a FTA channel without first consulting MEN as the company has invested a sizeable amount of money in the distribution process of the channel, including set top boxes.
Modi also maintained that DD Sports’ viewership is fairly large and no efforts have been spared to increase its penetration through the cable operators who initially were not much in favour of the channel on the prime band.
If DD decides to opt out of the agreement with MEN and goes ahead with its plans on DD Sports, then it may have to pay a hefty amount for exiting the agreement, industry sources said.
Still, Prasar Bharati officials maintained that even while the corporation would abide by the current court ruling, the rationale behind the proposal to make DD Sports FTA channel was that in the pay mode it was not getting enough viewership.
“Considering that DD is a public broadcaster, its role is to spread the messages far and wide. DD Sports in the pay mode was not being accessed in the remote areas and promotion of sports, including the indigenous ones, could not be taken in a proper manner. Hence the broad proposal to convert it into a FTA channel,” a senior official of Prasar Bharati told indiantelevision.com.
Moreover, with DD having bagged the terrestrial telecast rights of ICC cricket, including the next World Cup in South Africa, it ideally needs a channel where the cricket matches could be shown without displacing its existing programmes which would be necessitated if the cricket matches are telecast on DD National or even DD Metro.
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.
