Prasar Bharati has won two recognitions at the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU)’s annual get-together in Colombo with Akashvani Bengaluru receiving a special commendation for its public service announcement programme and a Prasar Bharati official being honoured for excellence in broadcast engineering.

According to information put out by Doordarshan India yesterday, the Audio Public Service Announcement Special Commendation was awarded to Akashvani Bengaluru for its programme ‘Beyond the Call’, which highlights the role of public service communication in connecting communities and addressing issues of public interest.

The award was received by Jyoti Das of Akashvani Bengaluru.

The ABU Broadcast Engineering Excellence Award 2026, announced earlier, was formally presented to Nongmaithem Nandakumar Singh of Prasar Bharati. The award was received by Mihir Jha, an official from India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The ABU Prizes 2026 recognise excellence in radio, television and digital media across the Asia-Pacific region, celebrating achievements in broadcasting, storytelling, creativity and innovation.

The awards are part of the 63rd ABU General Assembly and Associated Meetings, being held in Colombo from October 30 to November 3 under the theme ‘Media for Peace and Humanity: Truth, Trust, and Transformation’.

At the event, Prasar Bharati Member (Finance) Rajeev Roy also showcased WAVES OTT, the public broadcaster’s digital streaming platform offering television, radio, films, documentaries, educational and cultural programmes and archival content.

Launched in November 2024, the WAVES OTT has crossed 15 million registered users and 19 million downloads, with a presence in more than 130 countries, Roy added.