EXCLUSIVE: Small part of Prasar Bharati OTT will be subscription-based; rest all free, says MIB's Sanjay Jaju
Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, confirmed to Storyboard18 that Prasar Bharati's OTT will be launched on November 20, with over 60 FreeDish channels and archival content.
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Prasar Bharati's family-friendly over-the-top (OTT) platform will officially be launched on November 20th, at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting told Storyboard18.
Jaju was present at the 16th edition of India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) which is being organised by the Game Developer Association of India (GDAI). The conference is taking place from November 13-15 at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC).
During a media roundtable, he addressed Storyboard18's query on Prasar Bharati's OTT plans.
Jaju also informed that only a small part of Prasar Bharati OTT will be subscription-based and rest all can be accessed for free.
"...we are hopeful that for November 20th, during the inaugural event for the IFFI.. we are going to be starting the OTT and this OTT is going to be a game changer because this is not just streaming material, but it also will carry a lot of live channels. This OTT is also going to be carrying a lot of archival material. We have very good archival material available in the form of documentaries, even photographs coming in from our photo division.
There are a lot publications which are available, so we are combining all this together. The entire archival material and the media material available."
When asked about which all private or live channels have agreed to join the pubcaster's OTT, Jaju said, "Obviously there are many who have agreed because we already run DD Freedish which there are close to 60 entertainment channels which are part of DD Freedish, which would be more than willing to come and join the deal...so it will be a it will be a very good service, we will have access to a lot of entertainment material, that is currently possibly not being enjoyed by them for various reasons. It's on the cards."
The launch, which was first announced in 2023, was earlier scheduled for September 15, which then got pushed to October 3 amidst the growing concerns from select broadcasters and streaming platforms.
Prasar Bharati's move into the OTT space not only is poised to stir up competition for the other OTT players but is also distressing linear TV channels in the market. For top broadcasters, it is the conflict of interests as they already run their own subscription-based or ad-based OTT platforms. Additionally, some seek holistic regulatory review because of the pubcaster’s ability to integrate its OTT with traditional TV offerings, potentially leading to market distortions.
In its letter to the MIB, dated September 2, All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) has in fact urged the Ministry to withdraw Prasar Bharati's notice inviting TV broadcasters for its soon-to-be-launched OTT platform, as it believes the same disrupts uplinking and downlinking guidelines, and also disrupts the traditional TV distribution.
DTH operators too, reportedly are planning to write a similar letter to the information and broadcasting ministry on the placement of linear TV channels on Prasar Bharati's OTT platform.
