The Indian government is taking sustained measures to strengthen the functioning and audience reach of public broadcasters Doordarshan and Akashvani in an increasingly competitive broadcasting environment, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan has said.

He added that to improve content quality and introduce more variety, a simplified Content Sourcing Policy was introduced in 2024 to enable wider participation and faster acquisition of programmes from outside vendors.

Modernization and upgradation of Prasar Bharati, DD and Akashvani’s parent, are being undertaken under the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND) Scheme (2021-26) with an outlay of Rs. 2,539.61 crore.

The investment focuses on digitalization, replacement of legacy systems, studios and transmitter upgradation, coverage expansion and adoption of new technologies, Murugan said in Lok Sabha or Lower House on December 17 in reply to a question from a fellow parliamentarian on measures being undertaken by the government to upgrade India’s pubcasters and make them competitive in a world where digital tech is fast evolving eating into revenues of legacy media like TV and radio.

Measures to further enhance revenue also include improved client engagement, revenue-oriented content planning, multi-platform promotion and integrated advertising strategies, stated an official statement based on the parliamentary question.

The statement quoted the Minister as having said that the total revenue generated by Akashvani and Doordarshan from the non-government advertisements during 2022–25 period amounted to Rs. 587.78 crore.

Informing his fellow parliamentarian on the content initiatives on the two public service broadcasters, Murugan said live coverage of major national events is regularly undertaken to ensure wide public outreach and some examples include Mahakumbh 2025 (Prayagraj), WAVES 2025 (Mumbai) and ISRO satellite launches.

Technological upgradation includes telecast of several DD channels in high definition (HD), and strengthening digital presence through the launch of Prasar Bharati’s streaming platform WAVES OTT.