New DD plan to get mega productions: share revenue, simulcast

Viewers of Doordarshan, which has struggled to get top quality programmes, can now look forward to mega budget productions as the public broadcaster has decided to share revenue with producers if they provide superior content.
As part the new strategy, Doordarshan has decided to air big-budget programmes for which producers can also bring advertisers or enter into arrangement with private channels for jointly telecasting cost intensive productions.
Prasar Bharati Board has recently approved proposals which allow Doordarshan to go for Advertiser Funded Programmes (AFPs) and other models of content sourcing like revenue sharing with producers along with simulcasting with private channels, senior officials told PTI.

Under the revenue sharing mode, the producer will offer the programme to Doordarshan for telecast free of cost. However, the producer will be entitled to share the revenue earned by Doordarshan through telecast of this programme to be separately accumulated in a dedicated escrow account.
The revenue share arrangement will be such that Doordarshan is able to recover, at least, the opportunity cost of airtime bands in which the programme is telecast.
Officials say that till now Doordarshan commissioned programmes which worked well in getting content of a routine nature but was not able to get ambitious programmes.
"A large number of quality producers and directors approach Doordarshan for commissioning of programmes which due to shortage of funds was unable to show their programmes. Budget constraints also meant that only a few programmes could be sourced. So, finally a change in approach has been undertaken," a senior official said.

Source said that a change in the mind of Prasar Bharati happened as a result of profitable experiments in content and revenue sharing with private channels like Star Plus for - 'Satyamev Jayate' which starred Aamir Khan, 'Saraswati Chandra' and with Zee for TV series 'Ramayan'.