Prasar Baharti eyes Rs 1,500 crore revenues this fiscal.
Launches SMS and IVR based interactive services in partnership with ACL.
Outlook India, April 05, 2006

A slew of new initiatives and cricket telecast saw cash-strapped public broadcaster Prasar Bharati realise its highest-ever revenues as its earnings crossed the Rs 1,000 crore mark to close 2005-06 at Rs 1,230 crore at a growth of 48 per cent even as it still falls short of expenditure.

Prasar Baharti CEO K S Sarma told reporters here that enthused by the success, the public broadcaster- which has an annual expenditure of Rs 1700-1800 crore- was eyeing Rs 1,500 crore through revenues this fiscal.

"We will work towards it and on the back of existing and new initiatives, are hopeful to achieve it," Sarma said, outlining Prasar Bharati's future strategy.

Doordarshan also announced that it has partnered private mobile applications developer ACL Wireless to launch SMS and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) based interactive services.

ACL, which will design, install and manage the services for a period of three years, would also enable futuristic subscription-based services like video streaming, interactive chat and messaging for Doordarshan, amongst others, through the platform.

Sarma said both DD and All-India Radio had made significant strides in their revenues in 2005-06. "While DD grossed Rs 960 crore against Rs 670 crore in 2004 -05, the growth for AIR was 67 per cent as it earned Rs 270 crore against Rs 161 crore in the corresponding period," he said.

He said in-house marketing of properties, revenues from cricket telecast and increased media campaigns from government departments were among the initiatives behind the growth.

- LD PRASAR (PTI)