ITV

Tag: Prasar Bharti

  • Prasar Bharti collaborates with IIT Kanpur for direct-to-mobile broadcasting project

    Prasar Bharti collaborates with IIT Kanpur for direct-to-mobile broadcasting project

    Mumbai: Today, there is a shift in viewing habits from linear television to OTT and from theatres to OTT. The rise in content creation is leading to more and more jobs for people. With the arrival of 5G, there is the possibility of direct-to-mobile broadcasting. In a collaboration, Prasar Bharti and IIT Kanpur have come up with a proof of concept whereby, with a small attachment, there can be a direct-to-mobile broadcast. So, without purchasing data, there can be 100-200 channels streamed direct to mobile.

    Speaking at Ficci Frames Fasttrack 2022, I&B secretary Apurva Chandra said, “Without data and high-quality internet, users will be able to see high-resolution movies and listen to digital radio on their mobile phones. This change is coming. It will happen.”

    He also announced that a report on the creation of an AVGC task force will be submitted soon. He noted that there were reports on skills, gaming, education, incentives, and other policy aspects within the task force. They are all being combined and will be submitted to the authorities. He added that the report will be adopted during the course of the year.

    “AVGC is the future of this country. The best Hollywood films are being created in Bangalore and other places. AVGC will be the next great revolution like IT was 30 years ago,” he stated. Furthermore, he mentioned changing the cinematography act to include anti-piracy provisions. Also, there will be an age classification within the U/A category. The aim is to bring in amendments to the Act and put it before Parliament during the winter session.

    He further added that the AVGC centre of excellence, which has not seen the light of day over the past six years, aims to do this only in collaboration with the private sector. An in-principle decision has been taken in this regard. A total of 26 per cent of the task force will be owned by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), 48 per cent by the ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B), and 26 per cent by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Ficci).

    He also said that the media and entertainment industries should target a combined size of $100 billion by 2030. He noted that during National Cinema Day, theatres were full even in the morning. That, he said, shows that you can get people to view movies in theatres as long as the ticket pricing is right. National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) will be the cinematic arm of the I&B ministry. The four film units will be merged into one. The film facilitation office will be revamped, he concluded.

  • Celebrating National Broadcasting Day 2022 on 23 July

    Celebrating National Broadcasting Day 2022 on 23 July

    Mumbai: National Broadcasting Day is celebrated in India on 23 July to make people aware of the importance of radio. On this day, the journey of All India Radio started in the year 1927.

    Why do we celebrate National Broadcasting Day? Let us dig into the details!

    This was the day when India got its first radio broadcasting company. A private company named Indian Broadcasting Company Limited (IBC) started its journey as India’s broadcasting company. The Indian broadcasting company started broadcasting radio from Mumbai’s station.

    History of National Broadcasting Day

    The history of broadcasting in India goes back almost thirteen years to the beginning of All India Radio (AIR). In June 1923, the Radio Club of Bombay in the British Raj broadcast for the first time in the country. Five months later, the Calcutta Radio Club was established but the Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC) came into existence on 23 July, 1927.

    All India Radio launched

    All India Radio has come a long way in India. But broadcasting started in 1927 with just two privately owned transmitters in Bombay and Kolkata. In 1930, the government took these transmitters under its control and started running it under the name of Indian Broadcasting Service. In April 1930, the Indian Broadcasting Service under the Department of Labor and Industrial started its operations on an experimental basis. In May 1935, a private radio station was set up in All India Radio, Mysore.

    On 8 June 1936, the Indian State Broadcasting Service known as All India Radio (AIR) was established. In 1956, it was called by the name Akashvani. In 1957, the Vividh Bharati service was started, which created a stir among film and music lovers & became very popular among the public.

    What is AIR?

    All India Radio or All India Radio (AIR) is India’s domestic national radio broadcasting service reaching millions of homes across the country. AIR is a division of Prasar Bharati which was earlier under government control but is now an autonomous body, established by an Act of Parliament.

    India’s public service broadcaster, Prasar Bharati is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in the world. Prasar Bharati has four hundred seventy broadcasting centers across the country, covering about 92 per cent of the country’s area and 99.19 per cent of the total population. It has a reach across 150 countries through medium and short wave services. All India Radio originally broadcasts programs in twenty-three languages and one hundred seventy-nine dialects. As digital takes a lead, the oldest radio broadcaster has turned no stones unturned to stay relevant even in today’s world. It has its online and digital applications too. Prasar Bharati’s NewsonAIR mobile app has more than one million subscribers.

  • Govt allocates DD Kisan Rs 12.05 crore for FY’22: I&B minister Anurag Thakur

    Govt allocates DD Kisan Rs 12.05 crore for FY’22: I&B minister Anurag Thakur

    Mumbai: The Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Anurag Singh Thakur on Tuesday said that the government has allocated a total of Rs 12.05 crore to DD Kisan in financial year 2022-23, which is being utilised for farmers’ education.

    While answering a question asked by a politician and Lok Sabha member from Gujarat during the parliament session, the minister highlighted different initiatives the government is taking to educate farmers and build their capacity by imparting new knowledge.

    The I&B minister noted that Prasar Bharti’s 24×7 satellite TV channel “DD Kisan” is exclusively dedicated to the farmers and the agriculture sector. “The objective of this channel is to serve and educate farmers and build their capacity to use new technologies in their activities and extend its reach to the remotest parts of the country,” he added.

    “The programmes of “DD Kisan” are designed to inform and educate the rural populace and work towards creating a holistic environment for sustainable and inclusive growth,” he added.

    The minister further explained that Krishi Darshan, the field-based stories on technologies in agriculture, major events and success stories, is telecast five days a week and Gaon Kisan, field-based stories on animal husbandry and agripreneurs, is telecast five days a week.

    The programme Krishi Darshan is being telecast on 20 DD Channels in 12 languages, including Hindi. Prasar Bharati also has a dedicated YouTube channel for DD Kisan where the viewers may access this channel and also its various programmes digitally across the globe.

    Further, All India Radio broadcasts a 30-minute, six days a week, dedicated interactive programme, Kisanvani, in respective regional languages, over 96 AIR stations across the country and Kisan Ki Baat programme over FM Gold Channel in Delhi, for the farming community in collaboration with the ministry of agriculture & farmers’ welfare, the government of India, he also added.

    Thakur also mentioned the government’s effort to analyse the utilisation of dedicated channels for farmers.

    He further replied, “the impact of the DD Kisan Channel is regularly monitored through feedback from the farmers during field-based and interactive recording, and from toll-free lines provided for farmers.”

    “The regular analysis and impact of the channel are also done by the scientists and experts from ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), IARI (Indian Agricultural Research Institute) and KVKs (Krishi Vigyan Kendras), etc.,” he added further.

  • AIR doubles transmission time for programmes in six languages

    AIR doubles transmission time for programmes in six languages

    Mumbai: Stepping up its outreach to neighbours through airwaves, All India Radio (AIR) has decided to double its transmission time in six languages, starting 3 January.

    Making the announcement, the External Services Division of AIR said, the broadcast time has been doubled from the existing 1- 1.5 hours to three hours. The six languages include Dari, Pashto, Tibetan, Nepali, Baluchi, and Mandarin Chinese. The transmission would now be available daily for 1.5 hours every morning as well as evening.

    While Balochi is spoken in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan, Dari and Pashto are spoken in Afghanistan which is currently under Taliban rule.

    Keeping its mandate of reaching out to regions across the globe the External Affairs Division of AIR currently broadcasts in French, Sindhi, Indonesian, Tibetan, Mandarin Chinese, Baluchi, Urdu, Pashto, Arabic, Swahili, Punjabi, Saraiki, Bengali, Persian, Nepali, and Dari.
     

  • Prasar Bharati not closing any Akashvani radio station in India: Anurag Thakur

    Prasar Bharati not closing any Akashvani radio station in India: Anurag Thakur

    Mumbai: Prasar Bharati is not closing any Akashvani radio station in India, the minister of information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur told the Parliament on Tuesday. Thakur was responding to concerns regarding the closure of radio stations across different parts of the country that have been in the news for the last couple of years.

    Prasar Bharati has issued a clarification on false reporting and fake news claiming closure of AIR stations on several occasions earlier. Speaking in the Parliament, Thakur once again elaborated that “obsolete analog transmitters are phased out from time to time with the availability of alternate transmission technologies such as FM, satellite radio through DTH and internet streaming.”

    “Further, content reforms are undertaken from time to time to ensure that the national, regional and local services of Akashvani serve diversity of content, while optimally leveraging the scarce resources, giving opportunity to local talent and improving quality without duplication of content. The operational expenditure of these services is being met through the Internal and Extra Budgetary Resources (IEBR) of Prasar Bharati,” he stated.

    Thakur also told the Parliament that the government has approved schemes for setting up of Frequency Modulation (FM) transmitters in Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) premises at seven locations along the Indo-Nepal Border including SSB premises at Narkatiaganj in West Champaran District in the State of Bihar.

    On FM stations and community radio stations, Thakur further said that Prasar Bharati has 523 FM transmitters located at 483 All India Radio (AIR) stations across the country. Under the policy guidelines on the expansion of FM radio broadcasting service through private agencies (phase-III), MIB grants FM radio license to private companies registered in India under the Companies Act, 2013.

    The private FM radio phase-III policy being city-centric provides for setting up of FM radio stations in all cities having a population above one lakh unless it is getting covered from an adjacent city. Further 11 cities in border areas of UT of Jammu & Kashmir, UT of Ladakh and the North East states having a population less than one lakh have also been approved for setting up FM radio stations.

    Under FM phase-III, the government has approved to the auction of 683 channels in 236 cities.

  • Future lies in direct-to-mobile broadcasting: Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati

    Future lies in direct-to-mobile broadcasting: Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati

    New Delhi: Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati on Wednesday batted for common shared infrastructure for both Television and radio to directly deliver broadcast content to smartphones in future. The public broadcaster’s top executive said convergence across content as well as infrastructure is needed to meet the demands of the future.

    Speaking the CII’s Big Picture Summit, Vempati said, the public broadcaster is already working on bringing convergence across TV and radio, so that a lot of content exclusively available on Radio can be made visually rich and available for TV audiences. “Prime Minister’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ was the first such radio programme, that was made available for TV audiences. We followed the same format for another show Rangoli and even Vividh Bharti’s anniversary celebrations, where we put camera in the studio all-day long,” said Vempati.

    The Prasar Bharati CEO also talked about the digital transformation that Doordarshan and All India Radio has undergone in the recent years. Every DD channel and AIR station now has a digital presence spanning multiple platforms, like YouTube or social media or app. “Traditionally, Radio has never been measurable. But, now we have people tuning into AIR from everywhere, and choosing content of their liking. Digital an integral part of our network,” he said.

    Vempati said the public broadcaster is driving creativity and innovation on primarily several fronts. The most important being the conversion between TV and Radio. While the two have had a parallel journey of infrastructure and content creation, there was need to bring more convergence.

    “We have also collaborated with IIT Kanpur, and if our efforts bear fruits, we should be able to see smartphones directly receiving broadcast signals,” he said. “In the event of a high-viewership event like an IPL, there is no reason why millions of users need to receive that content on a unicast mode through the internet. If this works, all of the content can be delivered directly on broadcast frequencies to people on their smartphones or smart TVs.”

    Vempati also called for public private participation in developing critical algorithm, and sectors like AI, which will be needed to ensure content is available for multiple platforms, and made accessible to people across the country.

    “We are looking for more collaboration with private sector to identify these technology problems and address them, to create an intellectual capital in India, not only for content, but also for technology to power this content,” he added.

  • Prasar Bharati gains over 15 Mn digital subs since 2017

    Prasar Bharati gains over 15 Mn digital subs since 2017

    New Delhi: Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has added more than 15 million digital subscribers on YouTube between 2017 and 2021. The total digital subs for both its services – Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR) across News and general infotainment has now reached a current digital subscriber base of 17.3 million (1.73 cr), according to the latest data.

    In keeping with the changing broadcasting landscape, technology and viewers’ demand, Prasar Bharati’s digital platforms across Doordarshan and AIR have evolved over the past few years. DD News too, has crossed four million subscribers on its YouTube channel, a month after DD National achieved the same feat.

    EMBED : Prasar Bharti subs

    While the YouTube channels of DD News and DD National are leading the pack with multi-million subscribers, Prasar Bharati Sports, and DD Kisan YouTube channels will soon join the million+ Subscribers league, said the public broadcaster in a media statement.

    All India Radio’s National News YouTube channel, News On Air Official, is at the top among the YouTube channels of the AIR Network.

    Among the regional channels, DD Chandana (Kannada), DD Sahyadri (Marathi), DD Saptagiri (Telugu), DD Bangla, DD Girnar (Gujarati), AIR Imphal and North East service of All India Radio has registered a significant presence on YouTube with subscribers in lakhs.   

  • DD, AIR go paperless with 100% adoption of e-Office

    New Delhi: Use of technology has turned the operations at Prasar Bharati around. It’s no more business as usual, as in less than two years, 577 Centers and 22,348 employees of Doordarshan (DD) and All India Radio (AIR) have embraced e-Office operations. The initiative has helped the public broadcaster to cut down its expenditure on paper by almost 45 per cent in the last two years.

    “Kudos to all 500+ field units of Prasar Bharti across DD and AIR as we cross a significant milestone with 100 per cent adoption of e-office. For an organisation which was 100 per cent paper-based till three years ago, it is a remarkable transformation,” tweeted Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati.

    According to the public broadcaster, the IT enablement of routine office functions through e-Office on the Cloud came as a blessing during the pandemic with the flexibility to work remotely, keeping operational decision making going and reducing the need for unnecessary physical movement of files.

    Prasar Bharti had introduced e-Office in August 2019 a year before the pandemic spread across the world. The idea was to make operations more efficient and paperless. Of total 577 Prasar Bharati centers across the country, 10 per cent adopted e-Office in 2019 (Aug – Dec), 74 per cent in 2020 and the remaining 16 per cent have joined by 18 June, it said in a recent statement.

    The transformation has not only brought speed and transparency in the working of the organisation, but led to creation of more than 50,000 e-Files with the status of every file available online. Internally, concerned departments can trace their files, whether it is in movement or parked or closed.

    “On an average, the complete process of clearing one physical file used to take almost a week. Through e-Office, this has been drastically reduced to 24 hours on an average, sometimes even a couple of hours,” said the public broadcaster. As a result, the figures on total volume of cleared files over almost the last two years and average number of files cleared every month during the same period have jumped significantly, the statement added.

    Apart from reducing Carbon footprint, paperless work also enhanced the COVID safety during the pandemic through remote working, work from home, etc, thus reducing the chances of infections.

  • MIB appoints former journalist Kanchan Gupta as senior adviser

    New Delhi : The union ministry of information and broadcasting has appointed former journalist Kanchan Gupta as a senior advisor for a period of one year.

    Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar shared the announcement on Twitter, congratulating Gupta.

    Earlier this year, Gupta was made a member of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose 125th Birth Anniversary Commemoration High Level Committee, which is headed by prime minister Narendra Modi. He has also been the chairperson of the Kolkata based Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation.

    A senior journalist with over three decades of experience, Gupta started his career with The Telegraph in 1982 and went on to work with The Statesman and The Pioneer. He mostly wrote on national and regional politics, international affairs and security issues.