Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L Murugan has said that Prasar Bharati has prepared a draft Content Syndication Policy, 2025, to promote cultural outreach and monetise content, while also upholding its public service mandate. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today, Dr Murugan said the policy aims to monetise content being produced by Doordarshan and Akashvani, archive national and regional content, and live coverage like Government events, festivals, sports, etc.
He said it also takes into consideration digital-first content published on Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform. The draft policy proposes monetisation of commissioned, co-produced, licensed, and other content owned by Prasar Bharati. The draft was put up on the website of Prasar Bharati for public consultation. Dr Murugan said a structured industry consultation was done with key stakeholders across the media ecosystem. These include OTT platforms, linear TV broadcasters, radio networks, telecom carriers, IPTV operators and content aggregators.
The Minister said the draft Content Syndication Policy envisages fostering strategic collaborations with domestic and international platforms to expand the reach of Prasar Bharati’s content and strengthen India’s cultural presence globally. He said, it provides for flexible licensing models such as flat fee, revenue share, and minimum guarantee with revenue share.
In another written reply, Dr Murugan said, the Government of India is taking sustained measures to strengthen the functioning and audience reach of Doordarshan and Akashvani in an increasingly competitive broadcasting environment. He said that, to improve content quality and variety, a simplified Content Sourcing Policy was introduced in 2024 to enable wider participation and faster acquisition of programmes.
The Minister said, new programmes are launched regularly, and local artists are engaged by Regional and State Centres to produce content in regional languages. He said, artist and casual assignee rates have also been revised to attract better talent and ultimately support quality local content across 66 Programme Production Centres of Doordarshan.
Dr Murugan said, live coverage of major national events is regularly undertaken to ensure wide public outreach. Some of the examples include Mahakumbh 2025 (Prayagraj), WAVES 2025 (Mumbai) and ISRO satellite launches. He said technological upgradation includes the telecast of several DD channels in High Definition and strengthening digital presence through the launch of the OTT platform WAVES.
The Minister said DD and other channels are integrated on WAVES OTT, Online NewsONAIR Mobile app, etc. He said Akashvani has also launched audio-visual podcast series, namely the Akashvani Podcast and Akashvani Originals. Dr Murugan said structural reforms have been carried out at Akashvani, including defined roles for Cluster Heads or Heads of Offices, focus on revenue generation, content improvement and market outreach. He said alternative broadcasting modes such as apps, OTT and social media are being leveraged, supported by cross-channel publicity and coordinated marketing efforts.
Dr Murugan said, modernisation and upgradation of Prasar Bharati are being undertaken under the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development BIND Scheme (2021-26) with an outlay of over two thousand 539 crore rupees. It focuses on digitalisation, replacement of legacy systems, studio and transmitter upgradation, coverage expansion and adoption of new technologies.
The Minister informed that the total revenue generated by Akashvani and Doordarshan from the non-Government advertisement segment during 2022-25 stood at over 587 crore rupees.
