The government’s ₹2,539.61-crore investment in public broadcasting is ultimately a bet on relevance, not just infrastructure.
Under the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development, or BIND, scheme for 2021-26, the Centre is funding the modernisation of Doordarshan and Akashvani while attempting to expand their reach across television, radio and digital platforms.
But the more difficult question is what happens after the transmitters, studios and distribution systems are upgraded. India’s media consumption is shifting towards smartphones, streaming platforms and on-demand content.
For Prasar Bharati, the challenge is to ensure that public broadcasting infrastructure translates into audiences that still choose to watch, listen and engage.
Doordarshan, Akashvani Revamp
The BIND scheme was approved with an outlay of ₹2,539.61 crore for the five-year period from 2021-22 to 2025-26. Its stated objectives include improving the infrastructure of Prasar Bharati, expanding coverage and strengthening the quality of content produced by Doordarshan and Akashvani.
One significant component is the upgrade of 28 regional Doordarshan channels to become capable of HD programme production. This matters because regional broadcasting remains one of the areas where public media can offer a differentiated proposition.
While private television networks and streaming platforms have expanded their regional offerings, public broadcasting has a distinct role in carrying government information, educational programming and content aimed at communities that may not always be commercially attractive.
The policy therefore represents more than a technology upgrade. It is an attempt to preserve the public broadcaster’s reach while improving the quality of the infrastructure behind it.
Public Broadcasting’s Advantage
The strongest argument for continued public investment is reach. The government has stated that the BIND scheme is intended to expand FM coverage to more than 80% of India’s population.
That objective is particularly relevant in a country where digital access and connectivity are not uniform. A smartphone-based media ecosystem may be expanding quickly, but it does not eliminate the need for terrestrial broadcasting, particularly in remote and underserved regions.
This is where public broadcasting differs from commercial media. Private networks typically allocate resources according to audience size and advertising potential. Public broadcasting has a broader mandate. It can maintain services where the commercial economics may be weaker but where access to information remains important.
The government’s continued emphasis on DD Free Dish also reflects this logic. The distribution platform has become an important part of India’s free-to-air television ecosystem, allowing households without paid television subscriptions to access a range of channels.
Commercial Challenge
The financial performance of the public broadcaster, however, highlights the limits of relying on advertising.
According to a government release, Akashvani and Doordarshan together generated ₹587.78 crore from non-government advertising between 2022 and 2025. The figure demonstrates that public broadcasting retains commercial value, but it also illustrates the scale of the challenge facing a nationwide network operating across television and radio.
The broader advertising market has increasingly shifted towards digital platforms, where advertisers can target audiences using detailed consumer data and measure campaign performance in real time. Traditional television and radio therefore face pressure to demonstrate not just reach, but measurable engagement.
For Prasar Bharati, this makes digital distribution strategically important. The future of Doordarshan and Akashvani is unlikely to depend solely on conventional broadcasting.
Their ability to combine terrestrial networks with digital products, streaming and mobile access will increasingly determine whether public investment generates sustained audience value.
Infrastructure Needs Digital Strategy
The BIND programme’s success should therefore be measured against more than the number of upgraded studios or transmission facilities.
The real test is whether modernisation improves three outcomes: access, audience relevance and operational sustainability.
The first is relatively straightforward. Better infrastructure can expand coverage and improve technical quality. The second is harder. Audiences now have an unprecedented choice of news, entertainment and information. Public broadcasters must compete for attention without losing their public-service mandate.
The third is perhaps the biggest long-term question. The ₹587.78 crore advertising revenue generated over 2022-25 shows that commercial monetisation is possible, but the public broadcaster cannot assume that traditional advertising will remain sufficient as media consumption fragments.
This is why the BIND investment should be viewed as the foundation of a broader transformation rather than its conclusion.
Next Phase Will Matter
The government has not publicly established, in the primary sources reviewed for this analysis, a confirmed extension of the BIND scheme to 2027. The official material examined continues to identify the programme as covering the 2021-26 period.
Whatever the next policy phase looks like, its priorities will determine whether the current investment delivers lasting value. Modern transmission infrastructure can expand access, but it cannot by itself guarantee audience loyalty.
For Doordarshan and Akashvani, the strategic opportunity lies in combining their unmatched public-service mandate and nationwide presence with the distribution habits of a digital-first audience.
The success of India’s public broadcasting investment will ultimately be judged not by how much infrastructure is built, but by whether that infrastructure helps the institutions remain useful, accessible and relevant in a media market where audiences increasingly decide what to consume, when to consume it and on which screen.
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