ITV

Category: Terrestrial

  • DD b’cast partner of CMS Vataran filmfest

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan today decided to become the broadcast partner for the 9th CMS VATAVARAN Environment & Wildlife International Film Festival and Forum later this year.

    This follows a memorandum of understanding with the Centre for Media Studies for the bi-annual festival to be held from 2 to 6 November 2017 in New Delhi.

    The festival and forum addresses contemporary environment and wildlife issues through the medium of films, forums, workshops, field visits, food festival, nature bazaar, etc.

    The 9th edition will once again delve into the issues of climate change and water, under the theme:‘Conservation4Water’.

    Films entering the film festival will compete for 22 awards in Indian section and 21 awards in International section.

    DD Director General Supriya Sahu said “Doordarshan has contributed significantly towards the acceleration of socio-economic change, promotion of national integration and stimulation of scientific temper in the country. Being a Public Service Broadcaster, we are mandated to carry messages on preservation of environment and ecological balance. With wide number of channels and regional network, Doordarshan has an extensive reach and coverage and to promote conservation awareness, we will support and collaborate with the festival in November 2017 in all possible ways and all the Award winning environment films will be telecast by Doordarshan”.

    CMS DG P N Vasanti said “CMS VATAVARAN uses the medium of films to engage and widen the debate on complex environment and wildlife issues. With this partnership, award winning CMS VATAVARAN films, both national and international, can be shared to wider audiences of Doordarshan. We are glad to be signing this MOU and are looking forward to this partnership with Doordarshan in this conservation mandate”

  • Need for outcome analysis on utility of Kisan Channel: Parl Committee

    NEW DELHI: A proper outcome analysis on the grassroots impact of the Kisan Channel be conducted, in order to determine how the content of the Channel is actually benefitting farmers, a Parliamentary Committee has said.

    While fully supporting the initiative of the Kisan Channel, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology which also examines issues relating to Information and Broadcasting Ministry said that since the allocation under the Scheme has increased during 2017-18 from Rs 600 million to Rs 800 million, the Committee would like to be apprised of the new achievements of the Ministry under the Scheme.

    The Scheme of Kisan Channel was approved in the year 2014-15, with an initial allocation of Rs One Billion – Rs 900 million for Doordarshan and Rs 100 million for All India Radio.

    The Committee noted that the major assets created at Central Production Centre, Delhi for Kisan channel during 2016-17 were Multichannel Automated Playback facility and Multi Camera Studio Production facility in HDTV format; Collaborative Non-Linear Post Production facility in HDTV format; and XDCAM Camcorders, Recorders/ Decks, NLE, Camera support system, Zoom Lens.

    The Ministry has set the target of creating major assets under the Scheme during 2017-18 which are: Earth station at CPC, Delhi; and Field production equipment at 18 Regional Kendras. A Multi Camera Studio Production facility in HDTV format at CPC Delhi has also been ordered.

    During the year 2016-2017 new initiatives were also undertaken to improve quality and make more field-based, interactive and interesting programmes. Evaluation of existing programs is also being carried out. A content preview committee has been put in place. A system of regular review of programme has also been put in place so that further improvement can be made.

    Programmes are now being made in all the States in the Hindi belt, including Punjab, Gujarat, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, etc. so as to make the channel more inclusive.

    The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) is providing real time TRP rating of each programme telecast on Kisan Channel to assess feedback of programme.

    Noting that the Ministry is putting earnest efforts to make Kisan Channel a priority among rural farmer community, the Committee noted that for the year 2016-17 only Rs 390 million as on 31 January 2017 had been spent out of Rs 600 million allocated for the Scheme under Budget estimates and revised estimates 2016-17.

    Taking note of the submission of the Ministry that they will be able to utilize the entire amount, the Committee wanted to be apprised of the actual expenditure incurred under the Scheme during 2016-17.

    The Committee stressed that the Ministry should expand the outreach of Kisan Channel beyond Hindi belt states to cover Southern and North-Eastern states as well.

  • DD national channel had a weekly viewership of 172 million in ’16

    NEW DELHI: The gross viewership of Doordarshan’s national channel in 2016 was 172 million per week as compared to 133 million per week in 2015 and 155 million per week in 2014.

    Minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore has told the Parliament that the computation had been done under the New Consumer Classification System (NCCS).

    Being a public service broadcaster, the minister said in reply to a question that the pubcaster cannot therefore be guided purely by Commercial motive to produce high TRP ratings programmes.

    Section 12 of the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act 1990, the primary duty of the Corporation is to organise and conduct public broadcasting services to inform, educate and entertain the public.

    In accordance with these objectives, Doordarshan produces programmes encompassing the objectives of public service broadcasting.

    He said that DD telecasts a variety of programmes for viewers in rural areas through its entire network of 23 Satellite channels (24X7) including six National, one International, and 16 RLSS (Regional Language Satellite Services) channels.

    Apart from this, Doordarshan has launched DD Kisan Channel to meet the special requirement of farmers and viewers in rural areas. Its programme content includes core agriculture, weather, rural development and entertainment for the benefit of viewers in general and farming and rural community in particular.

  • DD Arunprabha: Bids invited for channel packaging

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan has invited applications for an agency to undertake the channel packaging work for its new northeast channel, DD Arunprabha.

    A tender was released today (10 March 2017) and the last bid date is 1 May 2017 evening at 3.00 pm. There will be a pre-bid meeting on 30 March 2017.

    The technical bids will be opened on 2 May 2017 at 3.30 pm.

    The date of presentation and the date of opening of the financial bids will be announced later. Online registration will be done on e-tendering website.

    Activation of registration may take 24 hours or more subject to the submission of all relevant documents required in the process, Doordarshan said.

    Meanwhile, the reference for proposal and details thereof are available on the pubcaster’s website as well as e-tendering websites.

    Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu had earlier announced that a new dedicated Doordarshan channel Arunprabha would be launched erly this year.

    The channel would showcase richness, variety and diversity of local culture and would seamlessly integrate North East with the entire country.

    Also Read :

    North-East plan: DD channel Arun Prabha launch in early Jan; 90% subsidy for community radio

    DD 24×7 north-east channel starts on 25 December; Rs 7 crore allocated

    DD Arunprabha invites proposals in seven categories

    N-E programmes can be submitted  for DD Arunprabha till 31 Jan

     

  • Women to man DD on International Day

    NEW DELHI: In a unique initiative, women officers will be functioning as Operational heads in 33 Doordarshan Kendras in five zones across India to mark International Women’s Day.

    Interestingly, the Director General of Doordarshan presently is a senior woman Indian Administrative Service officer Supriya Sahu.

    All Doordarshan broadcast and engineering activities – transmission and recording – will be exclusively headed by women officers/staff.

    The DD Kendras and offices being covered are:

     
    (North Zone)
    (East Zone)
    (West Zone)
    1.    DDK Delhi
    1.    DDK Bhubaneshwar
    1.    DDK Bhopal
    2.    DD News
    2.    DDK Kolkatta
    2.    DDK Rajkot
    3.    CPC Delhi
    3.    DDK Patna
    3.    DDK Mumbai
    4.    DTH E/S Todapur
    4.    DMC Balasore
    4.    DDK Pune
    5.    DD Jaipur
    5.    DMC Burdhman
    5.    DDK Raipur
    6.    DDK Lucknow
    6.    DMC Rourkela
    6.    DDK Ahmadabad
    7.    HPT Pitampura
    7.    DMC Dhenkanal
     
    8.    DDK Shimla
    8.    DDK Ranchi
     
    9.    DDK Jallandhar
    9.    HPT Cuttack
     
     
    (South Zone)
    (North-East Zone)
     
    1.    DDK Chennai
    1.    DDK Guwahati
     
    2.    DDK Vijaywada
    2.    DDK Gangtok
     
    3.    DDK Hyderabad
    3.    DDK Shillong
     
    4.    DDK Bangalore
    4.    DDK Agartala
     
    5.    DDK Thiruvanathapuram
     
     

  • Content with subtitles on India, Ukraine pubcasters discussed

    MUMBAI: India and Ukraine have agreed to strengthen the bilateral cooperation between the twocountries through the medium of Cinema. The cooperation would be worked out through a policy and institutional framework to showcase films through the medium of Film Festivals and utilizing the Film Facilitation Office platform established by India. The screening of films with subtitles was also discussed in order to reach out to people. These issues were discussed during the meeting between M Venkaiah Naidu, Minister for Information & Broadcasting, and Ukrainian delegation led by Mr. Iurii Artemenko, Member of the Parliament of Ukraine and Chairman of the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine today in New Delhi. Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore and Secretary I&B were also present during the discussions.

    During the discussions, Naidu said that the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting would extend all possible support to promote exchange programs between public broadcasters of the two countries, content creation, screening and distribution of films. The possibility of translating programs and content and providing subtitles in respective languages of both the countries was also discussed with respect to the Public Broadcasters of both the countries.

    Naidu also apprised the delegation about the Film Facilitation Office recently setup in the Ministry to facilitate single window clearance for film makers. The FFO act as a facilitation point for film producers and assist them in obtaining requisite permissions, disseminate information on shooting locales as well as the facilities available with the Indian film industry for production/post production.

    Iurii Artemenko said that Ukraine Government were taking efforts to organise an Indian Film Festival in Ukraine to promote Cultural ties between the two countries through the medium of Cinema. He extended a personal invitation to I&B Minister for the Film Festival to be organised in the near future. He also expressed interest for showcasing programmes based on Indian weddings, Touristic places such as Rajasthan and different Indian Cuisines.

    Deliberations were also held for organising Film Festivals showcasing each other’s movies in respective countries and the possibility of participating in Film Festivals as Partner Countries.

  • Efficient management: DD implements online scheduling, billing & payment

    MUMBAI: Doordarshan has implemented the Broadcast Air Time Traffic Scheduler (BATS) for online commercial scheduling & billing as well as for payment through SBI gateway.

    This is a major initiative for bringing transparency and credibility in Doordarshan operations. In Phase-I , BATS has been made operational for DD National channel and DD Kisan channel. In Phase-II BATS is ready and live for DD News, DD Urdu, DD Bharati and DD Sports.

    It would be operational by March 2017. In Phase-III, BATS will be implemented in 16 Major Regional Kendras by July 2017.

    BATS has many advantages as the entire commercial billing and scheduling can be done online through user friendly and well protected software. The delay in preparation of bills, issue of telecast certificate, co-ordination in preparation of FPC & Inserting Commercials is no more. Keeping record of all the documents is now easier. This has resulted in faster communication among Programme Wing, Marketing Divisions and DCS apart from minimising scope of error.

    Apart from having a provision to generate commercial bill cum telecast certificate it has the provision to pay the bill online through SBI gateway thus it is very useful for Advertising Agencies/ Accredited Agencies too for online verification of bills and payments. With minimum human intervention and cross -checks, it would be a step further towards efficient management practices by the public broadcasters.

    This also is a step forward for enhancing transparency and credibility.

    Also Read:

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/terrestrial/doordarshan-employs-german-innovator-for-upgrading-news-studios-170225

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/terrestrial/freedishs-first-e-auction-after-upgradation-in-mar-170206

  • Doordarshan employs German innovator for upgrading news studios

    MUMBAI: India’s largest broadcast operation, Doordarshan (DD) reaches around 92% of the population and 81% of its territory. Government-funded, it is also the largest terrestrial network in the world, and among the largest in terms of studios and transmitters with more than 90 studios and relay stations spread across the Indian subcontinent. 

    In keeping with this standing, Doordarshan does not make equipment investments lightly, as was seen when it included Lawo mixing technology in a recent TV news studio upgrade at its New Delhi broadcast center.

    Systems integration for the Doordarshan Central Production Centre (CPC) project is being handled by Sun Broadcast, and has introduced the broadcaster to German technical innovator, Lawo.

    “We won the tender with a 40-fader mc²36 with 96+96 DSP channels – the first mc² series mixing console in DD,” confirms Tan Boon Siong, Lawo Sales Director for SE Asia. “As well as price, we won on our ability to meet all the technical requirements laid down by Doordarshan.”

    Planning for the work began in mid-2015, with the contract awarded 12 months later. The console order was placed with Lawo in October 2016. Presently, the installation is well underway with completion of commissioning set for the end of March.

    Providing national, regional and local programming, Doordarshan currently operates around 21 channels including DD News, DD National, DD Sport and DD Bharati. The refurbished studio will provide fully integrated operation with new and more advanced technology for DD News than DD has previously has at its disposal.

    Key to the selection of the mc²36 mixing system for the project was Lawo’s product reputation, customer support and German build quality. “We have complied with all the technical requirements of the studio design technical team,” says Tan Boon Siong. “Now the installation is nearly complete, with parameter verification, performance testing expected to take one year for the approval process.”

    Also Read:

    FreeDish’s first e-auction after upgradation in Mar

    TRAI for pvt players in DTT, suggests capping of transmitters

    Expedite Prasar CEO appointment, govt urged

    No plan to turn AIR, DD into corporate entities

  • No plan to turn AIR, DD into corporate entities

    No plan to turn AIR, DD into corporate entities

    NEW DELHI: The government is not considering any proposal to make Doordarshan and All India Radio as separate corporate entities, the Parliament was told.

    Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said that the two organisations are being professionalised in accordance with the recommendations of the Sam Pitroda Committee submitted three years ago.

    He said that a panel of secretaries had been set up to examine the report and suggest other ways to modernise the organisations. But, the panel had not submitted any report so far, Rathore said.

    (Prasar Bharati Board had set up committees earlier to go into the various recommendations of the Sam Pitroda Committee and some action has already been initiated, Ministry sources told indianteleision.com.)

    Prasar Bharati was established as an autonomous corporation on 23 November 1997 under the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act 1990. The Act provided full functional autonomy to Prasar Bharati. The general superintendence, direction and management of Prasar Bharati is vested in the Prasar Bharati Board which exercises all powers and does all acts and things on behalf of the Corporation, as enshrined in the Act including disciplinary and full supervisory powers over its employees.

    Prasar Bharati being the public broadcaster has been mandated to organize and conduct public broadcasting services with the intent to inform, educate and entertain the public. Since Public Broadcasting is largely non-commercial, the Government continues to financially support Prasar Bharati.

    Also Read:

    Expedite Prasar CEO appointment, govt urged

    Budget ’17: Prasar Bharati grant-in-aid down, film sector’s aid up

    Overhaul and strengthening of DD in full swing

  • FreeDish’s first e-auction after upgradation in Mar

    FreeDish’s first e-auction after upgradation in Mar

    NEW DELHI: A new era begins for Doordarshan’s free to air direct to home platform FreeDish as it takes the first major step to mark towards its target of 104 television channels by March end with its 32nd e-auction which will help it cross the existing capacity of eighty channels.

    With MPEG4 under final trials and existing channels having received extensions for their licences, the next e-auction of DD FreeDish is slated for 14 February 2017.

    With this new leap, DD has also raised its reserve price to Rs 48 million per slot from the hitherto Rs 43 million. Earlier, the price for one channel went up to Rs 53 million and gave DD the confidence to raise the pricem which had been Rs 37 million till 2015 but was raised to Rs 43 million for the 25th e-auction in January 2016.

    The e-Auction will be conducted by M/s. C1 India Pvt. Ltd., Noida which also conducted the FM Radio Phase III auctions on behalf of Prasar Bharati.   

    DD refused to disclose the number of slots being put up for e-auction as officials claim this leads to unhealthy practices.

    Doordarshan had in October last year formally announced that FreeDish was capable of carrying 104 television channels and 24 channels would be added to the existing 80 channels after the launch of MPEG4 technology.

    While three new channels were added in an auction held over two days in mid-October, another 24 got their licences renewed for a year. DD officials also confirmed that FreeDish will soon be capable of carrying up to 250 channels.

    In line with the ‘Digital India’ and ‘Make in India’, DD has decided to implement Indian CAS (iCAS) on DD FreeDish Platform. iCAS (which is an initiative of the central government) is being introduced in 24 MPEG-4 channels. The introduction of iCAS will provide enhanced viewing experience.

    DD officials said these additional 24 MPEG-4 SDTV channels will be available to viewers in FTA mode. The existing viewers will continue to get 80 SDTV channels, but will have to obtain iCAS-enabled authorised set-top boxes for accessing all 104 channels.

    Although FreeDish will remain free to air with no monthly or periodic fee, the viewers will be required to register with DD FreeDish on getting the new STB from Doordarshan authorised STB dealers.

    Slots on DD FreeDish are allocated to private channels through a transparent system of e-auction. DD earned Rs 980 million in 2014-15, Rs 1800 million in 2015-16, and Rs 1040 million till September in 2016-17. The 31st auction brought Rs 1293 million In October 2016.

    FreeDish was launched with a modest bouquet of 33 channels in December 2004, and now carries eighty TV channels and 32 radio channels. This includes 22 Doordarshan channels and two parliamentary channels, seven general entertainment channels, 18 movie channels, 13 news channels, seven music channels, three religious channels and eight channels of other genres. All All India Radio stations also piggy-back on the platform.

    The participation amount (EMD) in the e-Auction is Rs.15 million which has to be deposited in advance before or by 12 noon on the date of auction along with processing fee of Rs.10,000 (non-refundable) in favour of PB (BCI) Doordarshan Commercial Service, New Delhi.

    Incremental amount for the auction will be Rs one million and the time for every slot e-auction will be of fifteen minutes duration. This may be extended by five minutes if a bid is received before the closing time.

    Of the reserve price, Rs 11 million will be deposited within one month of placement and another Rs 11 million within two months along with service tax of 15 per cent on the bid amount.

    The balance bid amount will be deposited within six months, failing which the deposited amount will be forfeited and the channel discontinued after a 21-day discontinuation notice.

    DD officials said implementation of iCAS and authorisation of STB original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) by Doordarshan will give a major thrust to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’. At present, a majority of STBs are imported. However, the introduction of iCAS will help in standardisation of STBs and encourage quality STB manufacturing in India.

    Also read:

    FreeDish ready to beam 104 TV channels; 24 on MPEG4   

    Three new TV channels join DD FreeDish bouquet; 24 get extension

    Next FreeDish auction after MPEG4 operationalisation