Bolstered by a recent Cabinet decision providing it financial relief of Rs 12,000 crore, national broadcaster Prasar Bharati today decided to work on aggressive marketing plans for turning Doordarshan and All India Radio profitable.
“Marketing and revenue would be the two thrust areas for Prasar Bharati, Doordarshan and All India Radio and the Board has put special emphasis on different revenue streams and innovative methods for garnering additional income,” Prasar Bharati said in a statement after its board meeting.
The Board was also unanimous in approving Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar’s proposal to engage professionals from the open market in marketing and other areas, it said.
Officials said the Cabinet had recently approved waiver of loans and other concessions worth over Rs 12,000 crore which had taken a huge burden off Prasar Bharati.
“After the Union Cabinet decision, Prasar Bharati’s annual operational expenditure would be in the range of Rs 1,500-2,000 crore whereas the annual revenue currently is around Rs 1,600 crore. Therefore, we need to generate additional revenue of Rs 350-400 crore and that’s where our renewed emphasis on marketing is important,” Sircar said.
The Prasar Bharati Board was also unanimous in passing a special resolution to thank I&B Minister Ambika Soni and Finance Minister P Chidambaram for the waiver of Rs 12,071 crores of loans, interest thereon and satellite charges that had accumulated over the years.
The waiver will assist Prasar Bharati address newer areas of concern, i.e., its Dish TV operations, (DD Direct Plus) Technology (including New Media) and its priceless archival treasures, the officials said.
Sircar informed the Prasar Bharati Board that the Cabinet decision will amount to a net impact of Rs 12,071.33 crore on organisation’s balance sheet.