Doordarshan might go for “slot sale policy

The public broadcaster, Doordarshan might go for “slot sale policy” under which professionals would provide programmes in lieu of a share in the revenue that is earned from them. The proposal was made before the Prasar Bharati Board in a meeting. The objective of this proposal is to procure content with a new approach.

The public broadcaster is interested in acquiring content which can ensure that a larger number of viewers are attracted and the space lost to private TV channels is regained. Prasar Bharati is considering to go for a more innovative content procurement model to achieve this.

Officials said that such a policy would ensure that Doordarshan does not have to spend large amounts to acquire programmes while also ensuring that the producer maintains a high quality because of the linking of his earning with the revenue that the programme generates. They added that the programmes acquired through the Commissioning mode, where Doordarshan pays for the creation of content, have not resulted in any serials or shows which have become major hits.

The proposal was already suggested in the 1980s but Doordarshan managed to come up with acclaimed and popular programmes like ‘Hum Log’ and ‘Buniyaad’ in which the procurement model was such that the producer created the content and also the slot price. There were other iconic programmes like ‘Ramayana’, ‘Mahabharat’, ‘Nukkad’, etc which were also procured in a similar mode.