I&B Ministry
Rathore promises inquiry into AIR re-tweets on Indo-Pak match
NEW DELHI: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has promised to look into the case of All India Radio’s (AIR) Twitter handle on Sunday re-tweeting obnoxious anti-Pakistan tweets by some of its followers after India beat Pakistan in their opening World Cup cricket match.
In its response, the Twitter handle of News Service division of AIR has denied there was anything obnoxious in its re-tweets but said it is open to any inquiry.
AIR invited tweets wishing team India the best when the India-Pakistan World Cup match was under way in the Adelaide Oval on Sunday afternoon.
“Give your best wishes to #TeamIndia for #CricketWorldCup using #WCFirSe. Best will get re-tweet from us,” said a tweet.
“This is within the scope of Prasar Bharati. Whoever is handling the Twitter account must have done it in excitement. People tend to get excited, but a certain grace must be maintained,” Rathore said.
“India’s explosive win over Pakistan at #AdelaideOval. Hindustan decides Pakistan’s #GharWapsi #WCFirSe,” a tweet originally in Hindi, which was re-tweeted by the AIR News’ verified account @airnewsalerts read. The handle is the “Official account of News Services Division, All India 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.
