DD gets Prasar Bharati board nod to set up DTH platform

By Nivedita Mookerji
NEW DELHI: Doordarshan is finally in the direct-to-home (DTH) fray with the Prasar Bharati board giving it a green signal to set up a DTH platform. The board, headed by CEO RR Shah met here on Saturday to discuss the DTH proposal. Armed with the clearance from the board, DD can now go ahead and work out the modalities of setting up a DTH platform.

After the board meeting, Shah said: ‘‘The board has authorised me to reiterate the interest of Prasar Bharati in the DTH project.’’ Now, DD plans to discuss with the industry the possibility of jointly setting up a platform with the participation of other members of the industry, he said.

As a first step, DD plans to talk to the Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF), which includes major broadcasters such as Star TV, Zee and Sony. The meeting with the IBF members has been set for November 13 (Monday).

Although the pattern of the DTH platform, that DD is planning, has not been worked out yet, the national broadcaster can now freely explore the various possibilities of setting up the DTH venture.

Said Shah: ‘‘We have to evolve a model which is workable, legal and economical.’’ He added that a joint platform set up by major players in the broadcasting industry will work in the favour of subscribers.

‘‘Such a platform promoted by major provider/ broadcaster would have the advantage of offering to the subscriber a very strong distribution system with no hard option to choose between the major broadcasters,’’ he explained. That is, the subscriber will not have to choose between, say, Zee and Star bouquets.

Now that it’s becoming clear that the DTH pattern that is evolving will be either duopolistic or even monopolistic in nature, Shah said that it’s in keeping with the global trend. Significantly, earlier, the Information and Broadcasting Minister Ms Sushma Swaraj had also emphasised the same point.

According to Shah, a multi-player system that gravitates towards duopoly or monopoly offers greater consumer clarity, easier standardisation and wide choice of content. Apart from that, such a pattern is conducive to the global realities.
As setting up the DTH platform means investment of millions, the project will take time, Shah said. And everything depends on who are the final players in the DTH venture and how they seek to enter the platform, he added.

At present, DD claims to be in a lead position as far as taking an initiative in DTH is concerned. ‘‘Let’s see how the industry reacts,’’ he said. Perhaps, by the next board meeting of the Prasar Bharati, set for November 25, things will be clearer.

TOP

Other Stories...

London court to decide on Nadeem’s appeal

Shah Rukh, Kamal Haasan to grace MAMI fest inaugural

Hrithik Roshan makes New Zealand a hit

Hey! Ram is Oscar-bound

Distributors take sides in TN tussle