India’s national broadcaster Prasar Bharati, with its twin services of Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR), may be a critic’s favourite for not living up to its ideals, but there’s no denying the fact that the network continues to serve the people of India admirably; specially in times of crises like the COVID-19. Ocassional dalliances with the government of the day, notwithstanding.

In the year 2021, Prasar Bharati had much to look back upon — whether it may be a push for digital or ably using its FTA DTH platform, DD FreeDish, to generate additional revenues or overhauling AIR’s multi-station programming or, more importantly, reaching out to those corners of the country where the private sector networks still fear to tread.

As the year 2021 comes to a close, let’s take a look at how India’s Prasar Bharati touched, informed and entertained people through the length and breadth of the country, delivering content of viewers’ choice in their respective regional languages and dialects.

In 2021, popularity of Doordarshan gained new heights as DD channels across the country together clocked viewership of more than six billion. These channels reached more than 680 million viewers in 2021, a statement from the government said.

With audiences spanning across 190+ countries, more than 185 YouTube channels of Doordarshan and All India Radio together registered more than a billion views in 2021. Their ‘watch time’ for the entire duration of 2021 sums up to a stupendous figure of 94 million hours.

Thanks to increasing popularity in more than 190 countries and 790 cities across the globe, Prasar Bharati’s App NewsOnAir clocked a listenership of 214 million+ in 2021.

The public broadcaster, delivering on its mandate of public service, has stood strong with the people during the testing times of the pandemic, ensuring that COVID awareness messages, free consultations with doctors and important government guidelines reached every last person in every nook and corner of the country. These contents were delivered in multiple Indian languages and dialects.