Prasar Bharati, also known as PB, is a state-owned entity headquartered in India. Founded in 1997, it operates with approximately 15,570 employees and reported $610.8M in revenue as of 2023. Its main product is Broadcast Media Production and Distribution. The company functions as India's public service broadcaster, organized as an autonomous statutory body established under an Act of Parliament. The corporation was formed to transition the country’s state media units away from direct government oversight into an independent public network. It serves as the parent enterprise supervising Doordarshan (DD), the terrestrial and satellite television network, alongside Akashvani (All India Radio). Tasked with a public service mandate to safeguard demographic diversity, foster national integration, and disseminate unbiased information, Prasar Bharati reaches virtually the entire Indian population. It funds its extensive infrastructure via direct governmental grants, commercial airtime advertising sales, and its free-to-air direct-to-home (DTH) satellite platform, DD Free Dish.
On August 17, 2026, an RTI inquiry revealed that Prasar Bharati’s Waves OTT platform lacked the monthly grievance compliance reports required under IT Rules, with its Terms and Conditions page only listing grievance officer details. Previously, on August 13, the Indian government disclosed plans to bolster its credible information framework, which includes fact-checking, public service broadcasting regulation, and international media outreach, involving Prasar Bharati's 48 global MoUs. Earlier, on August 12, Prasar Bharati reported a 9.46% decline in total revenue for FY25, falling to Rs 1643.35 crore from Rs 1815.07 crore a year earlier, with commercial revenue from Doordarshan and Akashvani declining, though DD FreeDish remained the largest revenue generator. The same day, the Centre stated it had no proposal under consideration to regularize casual assignees engaged by Prasar Bharati or extend social security benefits to them, a response given in the Lok Sabha. This follows the public broadcaster's significant increase in expenditure on its Waves OTT platform, which rose to Rs 258.50 crore in FY25 from Rs 1.85 crore in FY24, according to its annual accounts.
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