Prasar Bharati releases content sourcing policy for OTT platform
The pubcaster has outlined modes for sourcing content, including commissioning (may involve co-production or public-private partnerships), revenue sharing, licence fees or royalties & sponsorships
On August 9, Prasar Bharati released its Content Sourcing Policy for its new OTT platform, detailing criteria for inclusion, commission structures, licence fees, and various collaboration options.
This followed the announcement on August 7, when Prasar Bharati invited applications from licensed TV channels, specifically targeting those approved by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for satellite TV in India.
According to the newly released Content Sourcing Policy for the OTT platform, the Content Sourcing Division at Doordarshan Directorate (HQ) and the Content Sourcing Divisions at the Zonal Levels (for regional channels) will be the primary entities responsible for sourcing content across all Prasar Bharati platforms.
The Zonal Head (Content Operations) will also serve as the Zonal Head (Content Sourcing Division) for their respective zones. At the zonal level, the Content Operations section will function as the Content Sourcing Division. Additionally, the Heads of Programme at Doordarshan Kendras will provide support and assistance to the respective Zonal Heads (Content Sourcing Division) as needed.
The Content Sourcing Divisions, both at Doordarshan HQ and zonal levels, will conduct regular meetings with Heads of Programme to align on content needs. They will also engage with production houses, producers, rights owners, and aggregators to stay updated on market trends.
For content with multiple language versions, the division at Doordarshan HQ or the appropriate Zonal Content Sourcing Division will handle sourcing according to the content’s language requirements. For instance, Tamil language content with multiple versions may be managed by the South Zone Content Sourcing Division.
Furthermore, the Prasar Bharati Sports Division will be responsible for sourcing and acquiring rights for sporting events.
Eligibility Criteria
According to the Policy, eligible entities include production houses, producers, rights owners, aggregators, collaborators, and distributors, which may be individuals, proprietary firms, or any legal structure such as partnerships, joint ventures, limited liability partnerships, or companies.
These entities must hold legally valid, undisputed, and unencumbered rights to the content offered for telecast, broadcast, or streaming on Prasar Bharati’s platforms. They should not have any legal restrictions preventing them from entering into agreements with Prasar Bharati and must not owe any dues from past transactions.
In cases involving partnerships or companies, none of the partners, promoters, or directors should have a history of defaults or association with defaulting entities. Additionally, applicants must not be debarred from business dealings due to unethical practices and should not be charge-sheeted in any criminal case.
As per the policy, Prasar Bharati will source content under the following modes:
Commissioning (Including Co-Production of programme /Public Private Partnership), Revenue share, License fee/Royalty, Sponsored, Gratis, Bundling/Package and Collaboration (Application to Application Collaboration and Collaboration for Streaming with Satellite Channels an FAST Channel (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV).
