India:: 11th Plan Spends US$350m on Radio and TV Networks

Indian Government Spends More on National Radio and TV Networks in Face of Growing Commercial Broadcaster Competition - Move to Benefit Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturers Digital Broadcast Vendor News Asia (DBVNA) has been following India's development of its terrestrial digital broadcasting under the country's 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012). On April 8, 2010 the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI) approved proposals from the Ministry of Broadcasting for Doordarshan (TV) and Akashvani (All India Radio) to digitise its transmitter networks, and studio output. The move costing Rs 1,540 crore (nearly US$350 million) is to help maintain the state radio and TV broadcasters leading role in light of increasing challenges from the private broadcasters. This move will likely prove a true bonanza for digital broadcast equipment manufacturers. The Minister for Information and Broadcasting Minister, Ms Ambika Soni said that the expansion program was to bring people in the remotest regions of the country more program choice and highest quality of transmission, including HDTV. Some 60 per cent of the budget would go to AIR and the rest to DD. DD would see 40 new digital transmitters installed linked by satellite that would increase the choice from eight DD channels to 10 for most viewers. The liberalization of commercial radio has reached Phase III - bringing radio to towns with populations of around 100,000 population. Digital Broadcast Vendor News Asia notes that Minister Ambika sees Radio Phase III as posing a serious challenge to the current role of AIR in these areas/markets. This has prompted more urgent development of the Akashvani radio network to face head on the new market circumstances. The spending under the 11th Plan will involve replacement of Medium Wave transmitters with digital transmitters, digitalisation of studio operations and network links, establishment of regional digital archives and further newsroom automation.

Digital Broadcasters | Doordarshan Up Up and Away in UK

Digital Broadcasters Vendors News notes that after years of indecision, India's state TV, Doordarshan is up, up and away in UK's satellite land using DVB. From London on April 16 DD launches a general channel, DD India and 24/7, DD News. Both are free - to - air, part of the Sky UK satellite TV mux in Hindi and both are transmitted on the Eurobird satellite positioned at 28.5 degrees East. This gives a satellite footprint of 95 per cent of Europe, let alone the UK. Backers of the channels are the London based, Rayat Television Enterprises Ltd. The Rayat Group has interests in retail, air travel and technology. It has invested £2 million in the 5 year project, (with a first refusal option for a further 5 years). Much of the expenditure includes advance royalty payments (10 million Rupees) to Doordarshan and set up costs. Khalid Mahmood, Rayat Group CEO said the channels will connect British Indians with their roots and set standards in ethnic broadcasting. An anonymous executive within Doordarshan said it had taken 48 years for Doordarshan to make the decision to have a UK operation. India state TV's late arrival in the European satellite TV broadcasting scene sees it coming up against established competition from UK, Indian Pakistani and Bangla channels. These include from Zee, STAR, Sony, NDTV and local Asian channels, MATV and Raj. They all TV target the same audience with some emphasising younger values and others the more older traditions. Line up of UK channels directed at Indian, Pakistani, Nepali (Galaxy TV on Hotbird 6) and Bangladesh viewers on FTA EuroBird 28.5E with main languages used: Urdu (Pakistan) Channels: PrimeTV: 11623 Urdu Punjabi PTV Global: 11224 Urdu GeoTV: 11343 Urdu ARYOneWorld: 11343 Urdu The Musik: 11343 Urdu DM Digital: 11261 urdu Bangla Channels: Bangla TV: 11344 Bengali ATN Bangla: 11488 Bengali NTV Channel S: 11488 Bengali Channel S UK: 11488 Bengali English Language/Mixed Channel S UK: 11488 English RajTV: 11428 English/Hindi MATV: 11389 English/Mixed Hindi Channels DD India: 11426 Hindi (20 per cent English, some Gujarati and Tamil) DD News: 11527 Hindi mainly (20 per cent English, some Gujarati and Tamil) Star One: 11262 Hindi mainly DD India UK and DD News UK carry their own logos on the TV screen along with that of Rayat TV. Researching this article, Digital Broadcasters Vendor News found that Doordarshan, has over 1.4 billion viewers worldwide.

Digital Broadcasters | India | Doordarshan Works with Envivio and SHAF

Digital Broadcasters Vendor News has learnt that San Francisco based, Envivio a privately held company supplied the digital Mobile TV Head End equipment for the Doordarshan Mobile TV digital terrestrial trials in New Delhi. The MPEG-4 head end (transmitter) package includes 4Caster M2 encoders and the 4Manager network management system. The Envivio system fits cross media deployment by supporting the most broadcast and telco network standards, including 3GPP, 3GPP2, DVB-H, DMB and ISDB-T. Envivio supplied the mobile TV transmission equipment to broadcast integrator, SHAF Broadcast Pvt Ltd. The digital broadcast pilot project is offering eight TV channels initially. Later in 2007 it will be expanded to 16 , the pilot is delivering a high quality mobile TV experience to Indian consumers. Doordarshan is not only testing the technical aspects of the broadcast distribution signals through Mobile TV but it is also exploring the different possibilities for service bouquets, including advertising and interactive services to through testing consumer feedback. The information is sourced via a release from Envivio Inc.

Digital Broadcasters | India | Doordarshan Regional Newrooms Go VSAT

In New Delhi, Doordarshan India's state TV network is moving ahead with developing field production in high definition (HDTV). The administration says it expects trials to start later in 2007 or 2008. New Delhi has been chosen as the place to stage the testing. Meanwhile, there is small revolution taking place in the state broadcaster's newsgathering technology. All 70 of DD's regional news centers are being equipped with VSAT links. Orders have been placed for VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminals) equipment for every center. Each will link to the main news hub in New Delhi. Along with the feeds will be much required communication circuits, and production team voice circuits enabling two way talkback between studio control rooms around the country.

Digital Broadcasters | India | DoorDarshan in Content Digital Exploitation

Doordarshan, India's state TV broadcaster says that its 70,000 hours of analog library of video tape programming is destined to be fully converted into digital format, now that a detailed business plan has been drawn up for commercial exploitation. So far some 1,400 hours of programs have been converted by "DD Archives" which has released so far some 51 titles to the video distribution market. DD also says that some 600 hours have been identified and set aside for the DD MTNL joint venture, the Broadband Video-On- Demand project. The content covers program genres from culture and travel to personalities, historical places, health, fitness, and lifestyles. The DD "analog to digital" content conversion project covers the complete process of migration for all program production and output, as well as facilitating broadband convergence. Still, the key decision is commercial exploitation - return on the investment. How best can DD market and commercially exploit the mountain of programming content it is sitting on? One key intention is to create and promote interest among India's young generation in the country's traditional culture. This is best served by making available as many digital recordings as possible for distribution at home and abroad across the Indian Diaspora and to heritage institutions around the world.

Digital Broadcasters | India Doordarshan LPTs Replaced

Just for the record here, on March 14 in the Indian Parliament (Rajya Sabha Chamber), Shri P R Dasmunsi, Minister of Information reported that: 84 Doordarshan low output transmitters (LPTs) of 100-watt effective radiated power (ERP) have been replaced during the years 2004 to the present. Of these, 76 were replaced with 500-watt LPT’s. A further eight were of greater ERP.

Digital Broadcasters | India Terrestrial TV Reach

In India, terrestrial TV coverage by Doordarshan still only covers 79 per cent of the country reaching 91 per cent of the population. For All India Radio the figures are better at 91.78 per cent and 99.14 per cent respectively. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are covered through Doordarshan’s free to air DTH satellite service.

Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri P. R. Dasmunsi in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha (Parliament) March 20 said that as part of India's Eleventh Five Year Plan, subject to funds availability more AIR FM radio stations would be set up to fill gaps in coverage while DTH for DD was the considered route. (Digital Broadcasters Vendor News interpretation.)