It was a nostalgic yet forward-looking keynote by Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO of Prasar Bharati, at the World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, as he traced India’s public broadcasting journey — from radio’s golden era to the launch of its own OTT platform.

Addressing a packed hall at Jio World Centre, Dwivedi spoke passionately about how Prasar Bharati has remained a powerful platform for diverse creators across generations, languages and genres.

In an exclusive report for Indian Broadcasting World (IBW). Dwivedi opened by recalling the early days of All India Radio when iconic shows like ’Binaca Geet Mala’ and ‘Bournvita Quiz Contest’ were not produced in-house, yet found a national audience thanks to Akashvani’s inclusive approach. “It was always about giving creators a platform,” he said, remembering the timeless voice of Ameen Sayani, who passed away recently, but remains etched in the collective memory of a generation.

He then moved to Doordarshan’s golden age, invoking cultural mainstays like ‘Ramayan’, ‘Mahabharat’, ‘Hum Log’, ‘Buniyaad’, ‘Ye Jo Hai Zindagi’, and ‘Karamchand’. Most of these, he emphasized, weren’t Doordarshan productions, but content brought in from external creators who were offered the national platform — an early model of public-private collaboration. “We gave them the platform. They moved the nation,” he said, to resounding applause.

Transitioning to the present, Dwivedi detailed the scale of Prasar Bharati today — with over 250 radio stations, 30 TV channels, broadcasting in 23 languages, 180 dialects, and even 12 foreign languages. Yet, he pointed out the inherent limitation of linear broadcasting. “Only one program can air at a time on a single channel,” he explained, before underlining the need for an independent OTT platform that could allow infinite simultaneous programming across formats.

Enter Waves OTT, Prasar Bharati’s newest digital initiative. “We need our own streaming service not just for entertainment, but to house the massive volume of informational and educational content,” Dwivedi explained. Recalling shows like Turning Point with Naseeruddin Shah and the long-running Krishi Darshan, he asked candidly, “Which OTT today will run a show like that?” His answer was clear: none. Hence, the government broadcaster has taken it upon itself to ensure such programming finds a digital home and new audiences.

Dwivedi’s keynote was also a powerful endorsement of decentralized and localized content creation. He highlighted how programs like ‘The World This Week’ and ‘NewsTrack’ eventually evolved into full-fledged news networks. This, he said, validated Prasar Bharati’s decision to gradually open up even sensitive sectors like news for public-private partnerships. “The question is not whether we need it, but how we do it right,” he added.

He concluded with a call to creators across India: “Bring us your content. We will run it. If it’s good, you’re king.” His message was simple — Prasar Bharati is open, ready, and evolving — with a firm belief that India’s creators deserve a national and now global stage.