At the Goa Festival, India's Public Broadcaster Prasar Bharati Unveils the Waves Streaming Platform

Nitin Konde, Varun Bhardwaj

Nov 22, 2024 — 3 min read

Prasar Bharati Launches Waves Streaming Platform at Goa Festival

At the opening ceremony of the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa on 21 November 2024, Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant of Goa introduced "WAVES," the over-the-top platform of Prasar Bharati, the country's public broadcaster. Several dignitaries attended the event, including Secretary I&B Sanjay Jaju.

In order to meet the increasing demand for digital streaming services, Doordarshan, India's most recognisable public broadcaster, has entered the OTT (Over-The-Top) platform market. By providing a wide range of both modern programmes and historical content, the platform seeks to rekindle nostalgia while embracing contemporary digital trends. The website appeals to viewers seeking emotional and cultural ties to India's past thanks to its library of classic series, including Ramayan, Mahabharat, Shaktimaan, and Hum Log. In keeping with its dedication to diversity and inclusivity, it also provides news, documentaries, and local programming. Doordarshan's OTT platform connects classic television with contemporary streaming by utilising its decades-long legacy and national trust, catering to both tech-savvy young people and older generations.

Featuring Inclusive India Stories

With stories about inclusive India that embrace Indian culture with a global perspective, "WAVES" debuts as a major OTT aggregator in more than 12 languages, including Hindi, English, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Assamese. It will span more than ten infotainment genres. Video on demand, free-to-play games, radio and live TV streaming, 65 live channels, multiple app-in-app connections for gaming and video content, and online buying via an e-commerce platform backed by Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) will all be available.

WAVES also provides a platform to content creators, including National Creator Awardees like Kamiya Jani, RJ Raunac, Shraddha Sharma, and others, as a deliberate move to unleash the potential of young creators in the creative economy. Film and media colleges such as FTII, Annapurna, and AAFT have made their graduation films available on WAVES.

IFFI will Screen New WAVE's Films and Series

WAVES will exhibit "Roll No.52," a student-produced film from Annapurna Film and Media Studio directed by Nagarjuna and Amala Akkineni, in keeping with the 55th IFFI's emphasis on up-and-coming filmmakers. WAVES will film "Fauji 2.0," a contemporary version of the classic Shahrukh Khan programme from the 1980s, "Kicking Balls," starring Oscar winner Guneet Monga Kapoor, "Jackson Halt," a crime thriller, and "Jaiye Aap Kahan Jayenge," which is about mobile toilets.

WAVES features live events such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's monthly Mann ki Baat and the Prabhu Shriram Lalla Aarti LIVE from Ayodhya. Beginning on November 22, 2024, WAVES will broadcast the forthcoming US Premier League Cricket Tournament LIVE. Additionally, in collaboration with CDAC and MeitY, WAVES will begin a Cyber Security awareness campaign using Daily Video messaging. Programmes like Cyber Alert (by DD News features) and Cyber Crime ki Duniya (a fictionalised series) support this approach.

In order to effectively convey important messages, states and ministries of the central government are also collaborating with Prasar Bharati to co-develop and provide a variety of programming, including entertainment-valued reality shows, dramatised or fictionalised shows, and docudramas. A documentary on the 75th anniversary of the Supreme Court of India, the unique archival material from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, such as old photographs, journals, and periodicals, and the NFDC archives named Cinemas of India are among the contents. WAVES has also received educational and entertaining programming from the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Finance, IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, and India Post.