Akashvani Prasar Bharati

What Akashvani Prasar Bharati does

Prasar Bharati is India's autonomous public service broadcaster, established by the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990 (effective 1997) and operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. Headquartered in New Delhi, it operates two principal divisions — All India Radio (branded Akashvani) and Doordarshan (DD) — providing free-to-air radio, television, digital, and mobile content to the general Indian public. The organization's mandate is to deliver fair, unbiased information across news, education, agriculture, rural development, health, culture, and entertainment, including government and parliamentary communications.

The technology footprint spans 500+ radio stations broadcasting on FM, AM, and MW frequencies, six national television channels (DD National, DD India, DD Kisan, DD Sports, DD Urdu, DD Bharti), 25+ regional language channels, the DD Free Dish free-to-air DTH platform (MPEG-2/MPEG-4), and the WAVES over-the-top streaming platform launched in 2025. Supporting infrastructure includes the NewsOnAIR mobile application, live-streaming portals, DTH satellite services, the Prasar Bharati Archives, and an in-house R&D division focused on DRM digital radio, DVB-T2, and low-cost receiver design. Training and content production are anchored by the National Academy of Broadcasting and Multimedia (NABM).

The business model combines recurrent government budgetary grants with three commercial revenue streams: advertising on AIR and DD channels, recurring e-auctions of MPEG-2/MPEG-4 slots on the DD Free Dish DTH platform (institutionalized through regular e-auctions, with the 100th round notice published in July 2026), and emerging public-private partnerships such as the 2026 EOI for a Unipole display on Akashvani Raipur cluster stations. Customer segments are the general Indian public, government and public institutions, and — via DD Free Dish and advertising — private broadcasters and content providers.

Name

Akashvani Prasar Bharati

Legal name

Prasar Bharati (Prasarbharati)

Website

https://allindiaradio.gov.in

Company type

Public

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Prasar Bharati is India's autonomous public service broadcaster, operating All India Radio (Akashvani) and Doordarshan to deliver free-to-air radio, television, DTH, and OTT content to the general Indian public, funded by government grants and advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161), Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Satellite Telecommunications (517410), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832), Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Broadcast Transmission & Operations Services (Transmitters, Towers, Playout, Engineering) (MPAIAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Satellite Video & Media Distribution (DTH, Contribution/Distribution, Occasional Use) (HDAIAJAG), Media Transport & Contribution (SRT/RIST, Satellite/IP, Fiber) (MPAHAKAD), Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Network/Studio Streaming Channels (MPABAHAG)

Keywords

• Public broadcasting services
• Terrestrial radio broadcasting
• Television broadcasting network
• Free-to-air DTH platform
• OTT video streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Prasar Bharati is funded through annual government budgetary allocations as an autonomous statutory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
2. Advertising Revenue: Commercial advertising slots on All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD) channels. The organization maintains dedicated advertising portals and sales units including Central Sales Unit AIR and marketing offices.
3. DD Free Dish Platform: Revenue from MPEG-2/MPEG-4 slot auctions on the DD Free Dish DTH platform, with regular e-auctions for channel allotments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Prasar Bharati operates India's national public broadcasting service, delivering free-to-air radio content through All India Radio (Akashvani) across FM, AM, and MW bands via 500+ stations, and television programming through Doordarshan's national channels (DD National, DD India, DD Kisan, DD Sports, DD Urdu, DD Bharti) and 25+ regional/state language channels. It supplements these broadcast services with the DD Free Dish free-to-air DTH satellite platform, the WAVES OTT streaming service, and the NewsOnAIR mobile application for radio and news content.

Product overview

Akashvani Prasar Bharati operates as a multi-platform public service broadcaster combining radio (All India Radio/AIR) and television (Doordarshan/DD) services. The core offerings include AIR's live radio with FM AIR, Vividh Bharati entertainment, and digital audio services; Doordarshan's national channels (DD National, DD India, DD Kisan, DD Sports, DD Urdu, DD Bharti) and regional state channels serving diverse linguistic audiences; and digital platforms WAVES (OTT streaming), DD Free Dish (free-to-air DTH), and NewsOnAIR mobile app. The portfolio integrates broadcast television, radio broadcasting, free-to-air satellite platforms, OTT streaming, and mobile applications to deliver comprehensive news, entertainment, and educational content across India.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DD National: National television channel of Doordarshan
• DD India
• DD Kisan
• DD Sports
• DD Urdu
• DD Bharti
• Vividh Bharati
• DD News
• NewsOnAIR

Products and services

• All India Radio (Akashvani) India's national public radio broadcaster delivering live radio streaming across multiple frequencies (FM, AM, MW) and languages through 500+ stations, including the Vividh Bharati entertainment service and AIR News digital bulletins. Targeted at the general public across urban and rural India, it provides news, music, educational programming, and public interest content free of cost.
• Doordarshan (DD) India's national public television broadcaster operating flagship national channels (DD National, DD India, DD Kisan, DD Sports, DD Urdu, DD Bharti) and 25+ regional/state language channels across India. Delivers news, entertainment, sports, agriculture, and educational programming free-to-air to viewers nationwide.
• DD Free Dish India's largest free-to-air digital television platform providing MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 DTH channels to viewers without subscription costs. Channel slots are allotted to private broadcasters through periodic e-auctions, with the 100TH e-Auction announced for the period 23.07.2026 to 31.03.2027.
• WAVES OTT Streaming Platform Prasar Bharati's proprietary over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform offering live TV, radio, and on-demand content via web and mobile applications. Provides viewers with internet-based access to Doordarshan and Akashvani programming.
• NewsOnAIR Digital Service Digital news service and mobile application of All India Radio enabling users to listen to AIR radio stations, news bulletins, and audio news content on Android and iOS devices. Available via Google Play and the Apple App Store.
• DD News Channel 24-hour news channel of Doordarshan providing comprehensive news coverage in Hindi and English, also available as a digital streaming service on WAVES and the Prasar Bharati website.
• Livestreaming Services Live streaming services for radio and television channels enabling viewers to watch DD Live TV and listen to AIR Live Radio via the internet on the Prasar Bharati and Akashvani web portals.
• Direct To Home (DTH) AIR Direct-to-home satellite broadcasting service for All India Radio channels delivered to listeners via satellite dish installations across India.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PBS (Public Broadcasting Service): US public television broadcaster with member-station network, funded by government appropriations and viewer support, operating PBS Video streaming. Directly comparable as a publicly-funded multi-channel broadcaster with educational and cultural programming mandate.
• NPR (National Public Radio): US public radio network distributing programming to member stations with NPR One digital streaming app. Comparable to Akashvani as a publicly-funded national radio broadcaster transitioning to digital distribution.
• BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation): UK's national public service broadcaster funded by the license fee, operating multiple TV channels, radio stations, and the BBC iPlayer OTT platform. Closely comparable to Prasar Bharati in statutory mandate, multi-platform distribution, and public-interest programming mission.
• Deutsche Welle (DW): Germany's international public broadcaster funded by federal budget, operating multilingual TV, radio, and online platforms. Comparable international public broadcaster with multi-language digital distribution strategy.
• NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation): Japan's public broadcaster funded by viewer license fees, operating NHK World international channel and NHK Plus streaming. Comparable statutory broadcaster with extensive international and multi-language reach similar to DD India.
• ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): Australia's national public broadcaster with TV, radio, and ABC iview streaming platform funded by government appropriation. Comparable in operating integrated radio/TV/streaming distribution under public-service mandate.
• CBC/Radio-Canada: Canada's national public broadcaster operating TV, radio, and CBC Gem streaming service in English and French. Comparable in public-mandate multi-platform broadcasting with regional/linguistic channel diversity similar to Doordarshan regional channels.

Broad incumbents

• Star India / Disney+ Hotstar: Major Indian private broadcaster and OTT operator now part of Disney-Star. Comparable as a large-scale India-focused broadcaster with multi-channel TV and streaming offering competing directly for the same advertiser and audience pool as Doordarshan.
• Zee Entertainment Enterprises: One of India's largest private TV broadcasters and OTT operators (Zee5). Comparable in operating a multi-channel national Hindi/regional TV network plus a streaming platform, competing for the same audiences and advertisers as Prasar Bharati.

Others

• France Télévisions:

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DDNewsLive
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ddnewsofficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/DDNews
• Instagraminstagram.com/ddnews_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/akashvani-prasar-bharati

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Akashvani Prasar Bharati