Prasar Bharati OTT likely to be launched next Sunday

Prasar Bharati is scheduled to launch its OTT platform on September 15. The platform is likely to be free initially.

The platform aims to stream family-friendly content that promotes Indian values and knowledge. It will be available for free viewing for several years.

The platform will also give space to informative content and current affairs and feature content providers such as Sri Adhikari brothers, actor Kabir Bedi and filmmaker Vipul Amrutlal Shah. In its ‘Content Sourcing Policy’, released on August 9, Prasar Bharati outlined procedures for sourcing and acquiring content for both linear channels and digital platforms. Further, it established a Sports Rights Negotiation Committee (SRNC) to bid for and negotiate the rights to major sporting events, such as cricket, hockey, and kabaddi.

The OTT platform will be operating on a revenue-sharing basis, with content providers receiving 65% of the net revenue from subscription or transaction-backed content, while Prasar Bharati will retain 35%. The same revenue-sharing model will apply to the satellite channels onboarded to the platform.

Advertisements on the OTT platform will be managed by Prasar Bharati, with any unsold ad inventory shared between Prasar Bharati and the broadcaster in a 65:35 ratio.

Backgrounder
The Indian government started working on the platform last year in September when it released a tender seeking help in designing, developing, commissioning, operating and maintaining the OTT platform. It plans to reach the remotest villages of India such that no one is left behind in accessing it.

The BJP manifesto had promised to launch an OTT platform as part of its 100-day agenda if it returns to power for the third term. The government wanted to offer a decent platform that promotes India’s culture and nationalist values.

The contention was that some of the content on OTT platforms borders on vulgar and abusive language. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting blocked around 18 OTT platforms and social media accounts on this account.

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BCS Bureau