I&B Ministry
Radio City becomes first Indian network to offer curated playlists on Apple Music
MUMBAI: For a radio station, both talk shows and music, play an equally important role in order to entertain listeners. The uniqueness that any radio station has is its exclusive list of songs. As iPhone users cannot enjoy the feature of FM radio on their phones, Radio City has stepped in to give them the experience on their devices.
Radio City has an exclusive collaboration with Apple Music to offer thematic playlists to users. The exclusive tie-up will allow music lovers across the country to enjoy a world-class music experience through dynamic playlists curated by the FM player in India.
The playlists will be inspired by Radio City’s popular shows like Love Guru, Radio City Top 25, Suno Na Dilli and Kasa Kaay Mumbai; two other thematic playlists include Flashback Cassette and Chillout Zone. Featuring songs from the 80s, 90s, 2000s to the recent hits, the playlists will span across different genres, from older melodies to the grooviest of all tracks. At the same time, all playlists will be dynamic and will be updated based on current trends and consumer preferences.
Radio City CEO Abraham Thomas said, “We are known for our well-researched and mood-mapped music. Curating playlists on Apple’s platform will help us utilize these strengths to offer our listeners content that enhances their music experience. Furthermore, the availability of our playlists on Apple Music will make it easier for our listeners to enjoy quality music on a device of their choosing, at a time and place of their convenience.”
Jagran New Media COO – digital Rachna Kanwar said, “Radio City’s tie-up with Apple Music will add tremendously to our mobile-first approach. Our highly curated playlists will be the first of its kind by any Indian radio network on Apple Music. Digital audiences will be able to discover, first hand and on a highly engaging platform like Apple Music the results of our complex research analytics. Radio City’s analytics engine blends years of consumer preferences, helping us deliver the most enjoyable and relevant music experience to have ever been offered by an Indian radio network.”
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Radio City becomes the first Indian radio network to offer curated playlists on Apple Music
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.
