I&B Ministry
Radio FM Phase III applicants can get 49 per cent FDI after FIPB clearance
NEW DELHI: Applicants in Phase III of FM Radio will be able to attract foreign direct investment, but the total direct and indirect investment including portfolio and FDI into the company will not exceed 49 per cent at the time of application and currency of licence.
In an announcement today, the Government said the company would be required the status of such foreign holding and it will have to certify that it is within 49 per cent on a yearly basis.
It was also clarified that any investment will have to be with the approval of the Foreign Investments Promotion Board.
The calculation of the direct or indirect foreign investments will be as per extant policy of the government.
This has been done today by an amendent in the Policy Guidelines for Phase III announced on 24 November last year.
While announcing a relaxation on FDI in the electronic media on 20 June 2016, the Government had not referred to radio.
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.
