Channels change, DD is at Murdoch’s door

Rupert Murdoch had to knock on quite a few doors before the Government let him beam in a news channel. But guess who’s at his door now?...

Rupert Murdoch had to knock on quite a few doors before the Government let him beam in a news channel. But guess who’s at his door now? Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati Corporation, which is ready to spend nearly Rs 7 crore of taxpayers’s money every year to get DD News and DD-India channels on Murdoch’s digital platform BSkyB in the UK.

Speaking to The Indian Express from London, where he’s holding talks with BSkyB head James Murdoch, CEO Prasar Bharati K S Sarma said: ‘‘We hope to clinch the deal in three weeks…Our application has already passed the second stage of acceptance.’’

The first, he added, was more in the nature of intent, ‘‘after the corporation spent $1700 as application fee indicating its intentions to join the digital platform.’’

And that’s only the beginning of DD’s oversees Direct to Home (DTH) journey. On the cards, is a negotiation with DirecTV Murdoch’s venture and the largest satellite television operator in the US and another of Murdoch’s ventures.

When asked if there was a potential conflict of interest given that Murdoch’s Star is a key player in the broadcasting market here, Sarma said: ‘‘The TINA (there is no alternative) factor operates here. To reach 1.6 million Indians in the UK, we have to be on BSkyB. Additional Secretary I&B Vijay Singh is also with me to ensure there is no conflict of interest.’’

The Prasar Bharati is also banking on reviving DD-India by bunching it with DD News on the Murdoch platform. Largely a mish-mash of programmes from other channels, DD-India is currently hampered by bad distribution in countries where it is targeted. The Corporation, however, promises that DD-India will be refurbished once the deal is struck.

The Corporation is also readying its DTH patform for an April launch. ‘‘We will be negotiating with satellite channels to kick off the second phase of DTH after the first phase becomes operational on April 2,’’ Sarma said.

Story continues below this ad

While transponders are being readied by ISRO, the dish will be available for Rs 10,000, with 30 channels on board. DD News, too, is set for a makeover with new sets and new formats, targeted at NRIs.