In today’s breaking news, it looks like Prasar Bharati likes the clink of money just as much as any other content provider, with Doordarshan and All India Radio apps now being planned by the public broadcaster. It’s unlikely to be a wasted move considering that both channels have been garnering a lot of followers on social networks, apart from a decent number of YouTube views too.
Doordarshan National has around 53,496 Facebook likes and 4,270 Twitter followers. It’s active on both these networks and regularly updates Indian fans on the movies and programs being aired. Let’s admit it, even the most tech savvy of us who’ve crossed our teens may find it hard not to sigh with nostalgia when we recall all those times we came panting from the playground and switched on DD to watch Duck Tales or Mahabharata. And the channel does host some really good fare in terms of classics or older Bollywood movies.
As for AIR, it boasts of 20,149 Twitter followers and 20,250 Facebook likes. The face of social media is changing rapidly, with smartphones and data connectivity being accessible to a rapidly growing number of people. So it makes sense for bodies like Prasar Bharati to evolve with the times too. The Times of India reports that the DD and AIR applications which are being readied for mobile platforms will deliver news, entertainment and ‘archival content’ to users. DD News has 33,500 Twitter members following it and is said to get 700 daily YouTube views.
According to the post, apps built to provide the news service will be of prime importance. It’s true that remoter areas may benefit the most from the public broadcaster owing to the possible unavailability of proper cable or digital services. But unless cellular connectivity in such regions is competent enough to bridge this gap between transmission and reception of news or other important information, we don’t see why any form of content served up by the channel would take priority over another.
Prasar Bharati is looking at forking in Rs 200 crores in ad revenue, with digital media contributing to approximately 25 or 30% of this sum. Six more months before the DD and AIR apps are released and then we’ll have an idea of their potential. If all goes according to plan, the archived material which is digitized may be distributed on a subscription basis.