Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster of India, functioning originally as a media unit of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, has been a part of Prasar Bharati (India’s Public Service Broadcaster) since 1997. Doordarshan is government funded but also receives advertising revenue.
Doordarshan, which began its operations in 1959 with a half-hour programming per week from New Delhi, today operates 35 channels and has 67 production centres and 1,412 transmitters spread across the country. Terrestrial Doordarshan reaches 92 percent of India’s population. Doordarshan currently operates 35 channels via satellite:
DD National, DD News, DD Sports, DD Bharati (art and culture), DD Urdu, DD Kisan, DD India (international), 16 regional channels and 12 state network.
All satellite channels operate in digital mode. While the various channels operate in both Hindi and English, its regional channels mainly broadcast in the region’s local language.
Doordarshan also operates a DTH service with 64 free to air channels and 21 radio channels in its bouquet. Doordarshan has distributed DTH Dish Antenna and Set Top Boxes around the country to enable rural community in remote areas to receive the service.
Doordarshan has also started experimental DVB-T2 transmission at 4 Metro cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata & Chennai). It is also experimenting Broadcasting to Mobile/ Handheld devices.
: Prasar Bharati Secretariat, Prasar Bharati House, Copernicus Marg New Delhi 110 001 INDIA
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