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In all likelihood, starting next year, Doordarshan (DD) will have two separate news channels— one each in Hindi and English. Prasar Bharati, the state-owned broadcaster that runs DD and All India Radio, plans to convert its sociocultural channel DD India into a global English-language news channel on the lines of BBC and Al Jazeera. The move will place DD India in direct competition with private English news channels like Times Now, NDTV 24x7 and Republic TV.
Currently, DD India is an international channel with social, cultural and political programming skewed towards Indian audiences living abroad.
In a bid to revive DD’s viewership and finances, Prasar Bharati will also convert its current bilingual channel DD News into a full-fledged Hindi news channel that will then have a face-off with private Hindi news channels such as Aaj Tak, India TV, ABP News and Zee News, among others.
A former Prasar Bharati official, who requested anonymity, says the move will be a positive development as the hybrid channel has always confused the viewers, who are not sure if DD News is an English or a Hindi news channel as it carries news bulletins in both the languages. Although Barc (Broadcast Audience Research Council) India, the viewership monitoring agency, classifies DD News as a Hindi news channel, DD claims that the viewership of its prime-time English news is higher than all other similar slots on private rivals.
DD News—is classified under the Hindi news category and its viewership is not comparable with that of private English news channels.
In that sense, distinction between the Hindi and English news channel will be a good thing as people will be clear about what they are watching. With two separate channels, DD will be able to compare the viewership of its English news with that of its rivals, sell the viewership numbers to advertisers and improve its revenue.
Source: Livemint