Lok Sabha Question No. 4152 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: PB-SHABD News Sharing Service
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal, Shri Ravindra Shukla Alias Ravi Kishan, Shri Bunty Vivek Sahu, Shri Praveen Patel, Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Shri Rajkumar Chahar, Shri Pradeep Kumar Singh, Smt. Shobhanaben Mahendrasinh Baraiya, Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat, Shri Yogender Chandolia, Shri Chavda Vinod Lakhamshi, Shri Anup Sanjay Dhotre, Shri Captain Brijesh Chowta, Shri Kota Srinivasa Poojary, Shri Chintamani Maharaj, Ms Kangna Ranaut

## MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4152

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026)

PB-SHABD NEWS SHARING SERVICE

4152. SMT. SHOBHANABEN MAHENDRASINH BARAIYA:

SHRI TRIVENDRA SINGH RAWAT:

SHRI YOGENDER CHANDOLIA:

SHRI CHAVDA VINOD LAKHAMSHI:

SHRI ANUP SANJAY DHOTRE:

SHRI CAPTAIN BRIJESH CHOWTA:

SHRI KOTA SRINIVASA POOJARY:

SHRI CHINTAMANI MAHARAJ:

MS KANGNA RANAUT:

SHRI PRADEEP KUMAR SINGH:

SHRI RAVINDRA SHUKLA ALIAS RAVI KISHAN:

SHRI BUNTY VIVEK SAHU:

SHRI PRAVEEN PATEL:

SHRI PRATAP CHANDRA SARANGI:

SHRI RAJKUMAR CHAHAR:

DR. SANJAY JAISWAL:

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

(a) whether the Government has launched the WAVES OTT platform and if  so,  the  main  objectives  of  the  launch  and  the  target  number  of registered  users  proposed  to  be  achieved  by  March,  2026  including Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh;

- (b) whether Prasar Bharati - Shared Audio-Visuals for Broadcast and Dissemination (PB-SHABD) news sharing service facilitates dissemination of news across the country in various Indian languages and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether archival content of Prasar Bharati is being made available to  viewers  through  newly  launched  digital  platforms  and  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (d) the timeline for the conclusion of the initial 'free' period for users of the PB-SHABD service; and
- (e) whether under the above-mentioned services (WAVES OTT and PBSHABD)  any  special  broadcasts,  local  news  or  content  in  regional languages/dialects are being made available for the Surguja region of Chhattisgarh and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(DR. L. MURUGAN)

- (a) to (e): The WAVES OTT platform has been launched by Prasar Bharati in November, 2024 as a digital streaming platform for dissemination of diverse content including Radio and TV Channels, TV shows, web series, films, live events, radio services, cultural content, educational programmes and archival material of Prasar Bharati. The platform has over 84 lakh registered users, including users from Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh.

Prasar Bharati - Shared Audio-Visuals for Broadcast and Dissemination (PB-SHABD) was launched in March 2024. It facilitates dissemination of news  across  the  country  in  15  Indian  languages  namely  Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Dogri & Urdu. Initially, it was made available to users free of charges for one year, which has been further extended till March 2027.

A  large  repository  of  archival  content  from  Prasar  Bharati,  including television  shows,  documentary  films  and  other  programmes,  has  been made available on the WAVES OTT platform. The publishing of archival programmes  is  being  undertaken  in  a  phased  manner  to  enhance discoverability and strengthen audience engagement. The WAVES OTT and PB-SHABD platforms provide access to a wide range  of  Prasar  Bharati  content,  including  programmes  and  news  in Hindi and various regional languages, which are accessible across the country, including the Surguja region of Chhattisgarh.

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