NEW DELHI: Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati is planning to revive its entertainment content to generate more revenue.
The aim of the Prasar Bharati is to return to the Doordarshan’s ‘golden era’ where it featured a range of serials during the 80s and 90s where Doordarshan featured a number of shows — including cartoons and serials alongside the news.
The iconic shows of DD include Hum Log, Buniyaad, Malgudi Days, Shaktimaan and Shrimaan Shrimati.
DD Metro’s prime-time shift Metro Gold between 7-10 pm aired popular shows which were aimed at family audiences.
“The aspiration of the broadcaster is to return to the golden hours of Doordarshan...But how quickly we can reach there is the question. The idea is to revamp the existing entertainment content and bring in shows that are popular among the audience,” said a senior official of Prasar Bharati.
“As far as information-oriented content is related, we are doing quite a bit...The focus is on entertainment now. We would be procuring content that is commercially viable and augment our revenue. We will increase our revenue through multiple ways,” said the official.
However, the challenges of popularity of shows in Doordarshan amid the existing private TV channels are many. “It would be a tough market to compete. However, our natural advantage is the strength of our reach,” the official added.
Currently, the approval for the revision of the content procurement policies is pending before the Prasar Bharati board.
Once the approval comes, the broadcaster would be calling for offers from content producers.