Representing the broadcasting sector, Harit Nagpal, CEO, Tata Play, during the broadcasting industry stakeholder consultation roundtable meeting, raised concerns over Prasar Bharati’s role in the private sector with DD Free Dish carrying channels from private broadcasters.
It was put forth by him that Prasar Bharti was initially established to disseminate quality content.
“These private broadcasters seem to be leveraging higher advertisement revenue due to the extensive viewership of DD Free Dish. Industry representatives argue that it is unfair for subscribers of other DPOs to pay for channels that are enjoyed for free by DD Free Dish subscribers,” Nagpal said.
It was suggested that Prasar Bharti/DD Free Dish to restrict itself to DD channels for educating the masses.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting held an industry stakeholder consultation Roundtable meeting on July 13, 2024, chaired by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. The meeting, part of the Curtain Raiser event for the inaugural World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), gathered insights on current challenges and regulatory issues faced by the entertainment and media industry to shape discussions at WAVES-2024.
During the CEO Roundtable, Sanjiv Shankar, Joint Secretary, I&B Ministry highlighted the global Media and Entertainment (M&E) industry’s valuation at $2.32 trillion in 2022, emphasising India’s potential for growth with a market valued at $26.2 billion.
