I&B Ministry
Prasar to distribute 1 mn free STBs, Chhattisgarh channel plan reiterated
MUMBAI: Pubcaster Prasar Bharati, in an attempt to reach out to people in the “media dark” region, may be distributing for free around a million direct- to-home (DTH) set-top boxes in Naxal-hit areas of India an official has said.
Besides a dedicated DD channel for Chhattisgarh, union minister of information and broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu stated that a high-power transmitter would be commissioned in Jagdalpur (Bastar district headquarter) which would beam signal of AIR Jagdalpur to a radius of 200 km.
A proposal by the public broadcaster stated that 5-10 lakh units of DTH STBs will be given away for free to people in areas suffering due to left-wing extremism, PTI reported. A senior information and broadcasting ministry confirmed that they would distribute the STBs in naxal-infested areas.
Addressing an event in Raipur recently, Naidu had said that such an initiative would help people in tribal and remote areas of naxal-hit states to connect with government’s various development schemes. Naidu also said that the government would distribute 10,000 free DTH STBs in tribal and remote areas of Chhattisgarh.
The measure would help people in Naxal-hit areas to watch about 100 television channels for free.
Also Read :
Star to focus on school-level games via FTA sports channel
IIS overhaul & DD RNUs to focus on regional infra & local content
FreeDish auction on 4 July, different reserve prices for GEC and news
58% watched DD English news as per 4-wk average, pubcasters’ overhaul under way
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.
