Lok Sabha Question No. 5312 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Digital-First Content Strategy by Prasar Bharati
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Shri Jugal Kishore, Shri Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, Shri Nalin Soren, Shri Damodar Agrawal, Shri Bhojraj Nag, Smt. Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal, Shri Naba Charan Majhi, Shri Chandra Prakash Joshi, Shri Vijay Baghel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 5312

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026)

## DIGITAL-FIRST CONTENT STRATEGY BY PRASAR BHARATI

5312.  SHRI NALIN SOREN:

SMT. MALA RAJYA LAXMI SHAH:

SHRI BHOJRAJ NAG:

SHRI DAMODAR AGRAWAL:

SHRI VISHWESHWAR HEGDE KAGERI:

SHRI VIJAY BAGHEL:

SHRI JUGAL KISHORE:

DR. SANJAY JAISWAL:

SHRI NABA CHARAN MAJHI:

SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI:

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  achieved  the  target  of  80  per  cent  digital transmitter coverage  for  All  India  Radio  (Akashvani)  following  the  increased  allocation  for  the Broadcasting Infrastructure Network Development (BIND) scheme;
- (b)   if so, the details thereof;
- (c)   the manner in which the global viewership of Indian cultural content and archival National Heritage programmes has increased since the launch of Prasar Bharati's OTT platform in late half of 2025;
- (d)  the progress made so far under the 'Digital-First Content Strategy' by Prasar Bharati; and
- (e) whether  the  Government  has  successfully  ensured  the  compliance  with  the  provisions  of the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007 for all major international sporting events held during 2025-26?

## ANSWER

## THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  FOR  INFORMATION  AND  BROADCASTING  AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

## (DR. L. MURUGAN)

(a)  to  (e):  Broadcasting  Infrastructure  and  Network  Development  (BIND) scheme is a Central Sector Scheme for development, modernization and upgradation of broadcasting infrastructure of Doordarshan and Akashvani in the country. BIND scheme has been approved with a total outlay of ₹2539.61 crore for 2021-26.

Akashvani  has  started  digital  terrestrial  broadcasting  on  MW  Band  in  three  metro  cities  i.e. Delhi,  Chennai and Mumbai. Under the current BIND scheme, 68 transmitters are sanctioned, which will  expand  AIR  coverage from  70%  in  2021  to  81%.  As  a part  of  its  ongoing  digital transformation, AIR  has also made  its 260 channels available live on the  mobile app "NewsOnAir" which can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

Prasar Bharati's Waves OTT platform has significantly improved the reach and accessibility of Indian  cultural  content  globally.  Since  its  launch,  the  platform  has  achieved  over  1.2  crore downloads and built a registered userbase of around 85 lakh users across geographies.

Waves OTT hosts a rich repository of digitised archival content from Doordarshan, Akashvani and  the  National  Film  Archive  of  India  (NFAI).It  includes  classic  television  serials,  films, documentaries,  historic  news  broadcasts,  and  cultural  performances  such  as  music,  dance  and theatre.  It  also  features  archived  radio  programmes,  interviews  and  other  audio  content,  along with  contemporary  offerings.  Through  its  multi-device  accessibility  and  digital  distribution strategy, the platform has expanded the reach of Indian cultural and heritage content both within the country and globally.

Doordarshan  has  also  strengthened  its  digital  presence  across  social  media  platforms  such  as YouTube, Facebook, X and Instagram. DD National and DD News YouTube channels together have a subscriber base of over 6 million.

Akashvani has established a dedicated Podcasting Unit for the production of high-quality audiocontent.

visual podcasts. Its flagship programme, 'The Akashvani Podcast,' is available on Waves OTT and other digital platforms, enhancing audience engagement through contemporary, on-demand The Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007 mandates sharing  of  broadcasting  signals  of  sporting  events  of  national  importance  with  Prasar  Bharati. The list of such events was expanded in May 2022 to include additional sports such as tennis, football and hockey, along with all cricket test matches played by India.

During 2025-26, rights holders of all sporting events of national importance shared the feed with Prasar Bharati, and these events were telecast on DD Sports and other Doordarshan channels, in compliance with the provisions of the Act.

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