Prasar Bharati’s platform play signals push against big tech dependence

New Delhi: India’s public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, is seeking to reduce its dependence on global digital platforms by shifting from a traditional broadcasting role to building and owning its own digital media infrastructure.

Speaking at a Broadcast Engineering Society expo in 2026, Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi said the broadcasting sector is undergoing a fundamental change, driven by artificial intelligence, digital platforms, and new modes of content consumption. He observed that this shift has forced public broadcasters to rethink their role in a platform-driven media environment.

“Broadcasting today is no longer defined only by transmission power or coverage footprints. It is increasingly defined by intelligence, inclusivity, trust, and relevance in a digital and platform-driven world,” Dwivedi noted, calling the current phase a “clear inflexion point”.

Dwivedi said technologies such as AI, cloud-based workflows, platform convergence, immersive production, and hybrid delivery models are reshaping how content is created, distributed, and consumed. He described these developments as structural rather than incremental, with long-term implications for public service broadcasting.

“These are structural changes, not incremental ones. For a public service broadcaster, this transformation brings a dual responsibility,” he remarked.

Dwivedi said Prasar Bharati’s response has been to invest in building public digital platforms internally, rather than rely entirely on commercial or imported technology platforms for content distribution and discovery.

“As we speak of Make in India for the world, it is important to recognise that public broadcasters too can be creators of digital platforms, not merely the users of imported technologies,” he pointed out.

He added that Prasar Bharati has focused on developing digital infrastructure aligned to India’s scale, linguistic diversity, and public service requirements. According to Dwivedi, this approach is in line with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s broader push for indigenous media infrastructure and technological self-reliance.

Dwivedi said technology adoption at Prasar Bharati is driven by public interest rather than disruption alone.

“For us, technology is not disruption for its own sake. It is an enabler of public service, guided by public interest,” he emphasised.

Dwivedi highlighted Shabd, Prasar Bharati’s digital news service, as an example of this strategy. The platform has been developed internally to enable structured and authenticated dissemination of news across formats and languages.

Shabd draws content from Prasar Bharati’s nationwide news-gathering network of around 1,500 journalists and is aimed at strengthening the availability of verified news across platforms, particularly at a time when misinformation and deepfakes pose growing challenges.

Dwivedi said Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform, Waves, represents a larger move towards platform ownership. He said Waves was designed not just as a streaming service but as a public digital media ecosystem.

“Waves has been conceived as a Make in India public OTT platform designed not merely as a content repository, but as a public digital media ecosystem,” he stated.

The platform brings together live television, on-demand video, digital-first news, cultural programming, archival material, and public information services. Dwivedi said the focus is on Indian languages, accessibility, and platform neutrality rather than purely commercial optimisation.

He said the platform also allows Prasar Bharati to experiment with AI-assisted content discovery and archival enrichment while retaining editorial oversight and accountability.

“In this sense, Waves is not just an OTT service,” Dwivedi said. “It is an example of how public broadcasters can build sovereign, scalable digital platforms aligned with national priorities.”

Dwivedi said Prasar Bharati’s approach to artificial intelligence is cautious and centred on editorial responsibility. He said AI is being used to assist journalism rather than replace editorial judgement.

“We see AI as a tool to assist journalism, not to replace editorial judgement,” he said, adding that for a public broadcaster, “speed without trust has no value.”

He said technology must be guided by ethics, transparency, and public interest, particularly as media systems worldwide grapple with declining trust and increasing platform dependence.

Dwivedi also underlined the continued relevance of Doordarshan and Akashvani during elections, disasters, and national emergencies, noting that they often remain operational even when digital networks are disrupted.

“These are not pilot projects. They are operational public services delivered at national scale,” he said.

Dwivedi concluded that as broadcasting becomes more automated and platform-driven, public trust remains a non-negotiable principle for Prasar Bharati.

“Technology must serve democracy. Innovation must strengthen inclusion. And broadcasting must continue to bind society together,” he said.