I&B Ministry
Space TV: I&B readies note for Reddy’s approval
MUMBAI: Finally in sight, it seems, at least for Space TV, the Tata Sons and Star group, 80:20 joint venture for a DTH service in India.
According to sources close to the government and DTH developments, the information and broadcasting ministry has prepared a note for the approval of minister Jaipal Reddy.
Reddy’s ok would pave the way for issuance of a letter of intent (LoI) to Space TV. The ministerial approval is expected to come through in 10 days or so, barring unforeseen hitches.
However, even after the letter of intent is issued, it would be a while before the final letter of approval and an actual DTH license is handed to Space TV. The sources say that the last set of clarifications, sought by the government, came in from Space TV yesterday.
This is likely to end a long wait for Space TV, and Star in particular, which has been in quest of a DTH licence since 2002. In between, the application of Space had to be made afresh in 2003 as the government felt that in the earlier version of Space TV, the Indian partnership was more of a dummy.
The government had announced a set of DTH guidelines towards the end of 2001 by which time quite a few interested players had already got frustrated and abandoned their plans to make forays into the DTH segment.
This included the Malaysia-based Measat, which had a memorandum of understanding with Doordarshan for a DTH venture in the mid-1990s.
In January 2004, Tata Sons announced the formation of a joint venture with the Star Group for launching a DTH television platform in India.
The announcement had stated that the Tata Group and Star Group looked forward to building India’s largest digital television platform and offering a range of channels including exclusive channels, with interactive features and services.
The project cost is estimated to be Rs 16 billion ($1= Rs 43.75).
Information collated by indiantelevision.com indicates that the I&B ministry had raised a series of objections on the Space TV application even after the Tatas joined hands with the Rupert Murdoch-controlled Star for a JV.
One of the many issues raised by the I&B ministry was that in the Space TV project, cleared by other ministires, including finance and home, the shareholders’ agreement was in favour of Star, which amounted to foreign control.
A government official told indiantelevision.com late this evening that Space TV has written to them saying that “changes have been made” in the company set-up in the line with the I&B ministry’s suggestions.
“Before a final clearance is given, it needs to be seen whether Space TV has actually carried out those changes in letter and spirit of the guidelines,” the official added.
The Space TV case became so controversial that 37-odd questions on the company has been asked to the present government by Members of Parliament on the floor of the House, while recently about nine MPs had written to the PMO on the issue.
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.
