News Broadcasting
MIB: Doordarshan clocks 372 crore viewers; Prasar Bharati nets Rs 14,421 crore
Funds channelled into salaries and BIND-led upgrades, Ministry told
NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati received Rs 14,421 crore in budgetary support between 2020–21 and 2024–25, the ministry of information and broadcasting told Parliament, underlining the government’s continued backing of India’s public service broadcaster.
The funds were deployed primarily towards staff salaries and infrastructure upgrades under the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND) scheme. With an outlay of Rs 2,539.61 crore for 2021–26, BIND is aimed at modernising studios, transmission networks and digital systems across Doordarshan and All India Radio.
Over the same period, Doordarshan recorded a cumulative gross unique viewership of 372.8 crore between 2021 and January 2026, according to estimates by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). Officials stressed that the figure reflects overall reach rather than sustained engagement levels.
Responding to a query from DMK MP T R Baalu, minister of state for information and broadcasting L Murugan, said Prasar Bharati’s audience base had not seen a sharp decline despite intensifying competition from private television and radio networks.
Murugan told Parliament that Prasar Bharati follows a “nation first” mandate, prioritising public service over ratings or commercial returns. Doordarshan and Akashvani, he said, are required to serve remote, rural, tribal and left-wing extremism–affected regions that are often unwelcoming to private broadcasters.
