At the WAVES Summit 2025, PM Modi announced that Rs 391 crore (approximately $46 million) has been sanctioned for the establishment of the first Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT), positioned as a dedicated “creator school”. Alongside this, Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw also announced a separate Rs 830 crore ($1 billion) fund to boost the overall creator economy, aimed at improving capital access, skill development and global market integration for digital content creators.
The initiative is expected to generate new employment opportunities while contributing nearly Rs 5,000 crore to the broader ecosystem.
Last week, Prasar Bharati launched Creator’s Corner on DD News, joining other broadcasters opening doors to creators. Network18 rolled out Creator18 last year, an influencer marketing vertical spanning culture, commerce, and fashion. Republic TV has also introduced an influencer incubator, with Arnab Goswami unveiling the Republic Positive Influencer Program to encourage content creation in the national interest.
Read On: Network18 announces the launch of Creator18
So, what’s new?
Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO of Prasar Bharati, said the idea is to open up DD News as a platform rather than commission fresh content at this stage. “We plan to put out content across various social media platforms inviting creators to share their existing videos with us. The idea is to curate some of this material and offer it a national platform on DD News. Today, a large number of people are already engaged in video creation, and in the initial phase, our aim is simply to give them wider reach while also bringing in fresh and interesting programming for our viewers,” he said.
DD News joins a small but growing group of legacy broadcasters that are formally integrating independent digital creators into mainstream television programming, a space traditionally dominated by institutional voices and studio-led formats. The announcement comes at a time when the lines between broadcast, streaming and social platforms are increasingly blurring.
Creator’s Corner will be telecast at 7:00 pm from Monday to Friday on DD News, with a repeat telecast the following day at 9:30 am. Each episode will feature four to six reels or videos covering diverse themes, reflecting the breadth of India’s digital creator ecosystem.
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Read On: Prasar Bharati launches Creator’s Corner on DD News to empower digital creators
DD News is inviting creators to submit original content across a wide range of genres, including news and current affairs, culture, travel, cuisine, art and literature, music and dance, health and wellness, education, science and technology, environment, positive stories and entertainment. Submissions must be between 1.5 and 10 minutes, produced in Full HD with a 16:9 aspect ratio, and follow a YouTube-style format while remaining broadcast-ready. Only original content will be accepted, with full credit given to both the creator and their digital channel.
Dwivedi added that the initiative has been issued as a policy rather than through selective outreach. “At this stage, we have not approached any individual creator or big names. There is a dedicated mobile number and email address where creators can submit their content, and from these submissions, suitable pieces will be selected for broadcast. Currently, there is no specific budget allocation. We are not asking creators to produce anything new for us; they are already creating independently. Compensation can be considered at a later stage,” he noted.
e4m reporters spoke to creators, who said initiatives such as Creator’s Corner could significantly enhance their brand value and credibility, while also creating greater opportunities for long-term growth. Many noted that if they are investing time, resources and creative energy into producing content, gaining a larger screen and a national platform to showcase their work feels like a natural next step in their journey.
Why broadcasters are turning to creator-led content?
Industry experts say the model is already tested and proven, particularly in the movie and entertainment industry. According to Qoruz data, creator-led promotions across entertainment are estimated to have crossed Rs 250 crore, including influencer marketing, meme marketing, paid UGC and seeding.
Praanesh Bhuvaneswar, Co-founder and CEO of Qoruz, said, “What’s surprising this year is the sheer scale of adoption. Our data shows that close to 60–70% of movies released in 2025 used creator-led promotions in some form. Not always loudly. Not always officially. But it was there.
“What’s even more interesting is how audiences are responding to it. Whether it’s Bollywood, Kollywood or even Malayalam cinema, we’re seeing massive engagement around these cultural narratives across platforms. Everyone wants to trend on X, drive engagement on Instagram, hit millions of views on YouTube and become meme material.”
Read On: Will 2026 formalise the creator economy?
The same logic, industry watchers say, is now driving news channels to experiment with creator-led formats to arrest falling viewership and tap younger audiences.
The move, however, has also sparked conversations around opportunity and oversight.
Sanket Upadhyay, Co-founder of The Red Mike, revealed that the entry of creators on Doordarshan should be viewed in historical context. “At a time when there was no other platform, there was only Doordarshan, and everyone who acted in iconic serials back then were content creators of their time. The content creators of today are on the internet. So, giving them space on the national broadcaster should not, by default, be a concern,” he said.
Upadhyay, however, emphasised the need for clear guardrails. He explained that his concerns are less about creators being onboarded and more about how the selection process is managed.
“One, will this become a platform for political propaganda? Two, will low-quality or low-brow content find space? And three, if you are truly opening the doors to creators, will you also platform those who may not always say complimentary things about the government? We have seen anti-establishment work find space on Doordarshan in the past, films like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro. So yes, creators should be there, but with the right checks in place. Let us not throw the baby out with the bathwater,” Upadhyay said.
Other than news channels, streaming platforms, too, are moving in the same direction. Netflix has experimented with creator-led formats such as Awkward Interviews featuring Aishwarya Mohanraj, while JioHotstar has rolled out Sparks, a dedicated section spotlighting creators including Zakir Khan, Uorfi Javed, Shyam Sharma, Dhruv Shah and astrologer Arun Pandit.
Read On: JioHotstar brings in Sparks: UGC biggies to feel the heat?
Taken together, these developments signal an aggressive push to restore TV’s relevance, particularly among younger audiences shaped by the creator-driven attention economy. Yet social media platforms, where creators already operate, are also targeting television.
YouTube has introduced Spotted Shorts, an eight-week programme to nurture creators, while Meta launched Instagram for TV last year, bringing short-form content to the television screen. For broadcasters, moving swiftly to work with creators presents a significant growth opportunity.