Doordarshan (lit.'distant vision, television'), abbreviated as DD, is India's state-ownedpublictelevision broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959[1], it is owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and constitutes one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions.[2] Doordarshan, one of India's largest broadcasting organisations in terms of studio and transmitter infrastructure, delivers television, radio, online, and mobile services across metropolitan and regional India, as well as internationally. It also broadcasts via digital terrestrial transmitters.
History
Beginnings
A sheet of stamps released in 2019 on the occasion of Doordarshan's 60th Foundation DayA stamp on Doordarshan's 60th Foundation Day
The channel began modestly as an experimental broadcaster in Delhi on 15 September 1959, with a small transmitter and a makeshift studio. Regular daily transmission commenced in 1965 as part of All India Radio, with a five-minute news bulletin read by Pratima Puri. Salma Sultan joined Doordarshan in 1967, and became a news anchor. Thereafter, Gitanjali Aiyar, Neethi Ravindran, and Rini Simon became popular news anchors in the 1970s.[3]
Krishi Darshan, which debuted on Doordarshan on 26 January 1967, holds the distinction of being Indian television's longest-running programme.[4]
Television services were expanded to Bombay (now Mumbai) and Amritsar in 1972. By 1975, only seven Indian cities had access to television, with Doordarshan being the sole provider in the country.
On 1 April 1976, television services were officially separated from radio.[5]All India Radio and Doordarshan were placed under the management of separate Directors-Generals in New Delhi. In 1982, Doordarshan transitioned into a national broadcaster.[6]
Nationwide transmission
National telecasts (DD National) were introduced in 1982. Colour television in India was introduced with the live telecast of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's Independence Day speech on 15 August 1982, followed by the colour broadcast of the 1982 Asian Games held in Delhi.[7][8] Two years later, Doordarshan evolved into a structured TV network. The sole TV channel was split into DD-1, a nationally broadcast channel, and DD-2, a city-focused channel. In 1993, they were rebranded as DD National and DD Metro, respectively, to compete with the then-newly privatised television industry.
The live telecasts of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics were aired on Doordarshan's national channel, while DD Sports offered round-the-clock coverage of the event.[9]
On 17 November 2014, Doordarshan director-general Vijayalaxmi Chhabra introduced a pink-and-purple colour scheme with a new slogan: Desh Ka Apna Channel ("The country's own channel").[10] In 2017, Doordarshan operated a network of nearly 1,400 terrestrial transmitters and had 46 studios producing television programmes.[11] After the introduction of private channels, Doordarshan has faced challenges in maintaining its position in the television industry.[12] Currently, Doordarshan is focusing on improving its studios and programmes, with its primary aim being to serve the nation..[13]
Channels
Doordarshan operates 46 studios and 33 television channels, including two pan-India channels—DD National and DD News[14]—along with 17 regional satellite channels, 11 state networks, an international channel (DD India), a sports channel (DD Sports), cultural and informative channels like DD Bharati and DD Urdu, and an agricultural channel, DD Kisan. On DD National (formerly DD-1), regional and local programs are aired on a time-sharing basis for terrestrial broadcasting only. DD News, launched on 3 November 2003, replaced DD Metro (formerly DD-2), providing 24-hour news coverage. These channels are relayed through all terrestrial transmitters in India. The regional-language satellite channels consist of two components: a regional service for a specific state (relayed by all terrestrial transmitters in that state) and additional regional-language programs available through cable and DTH operators. DD Sports broadcasts both national and international sporting events and is the only channel to air rural sports such as kho-kho and kabaddi.
A new regional channel, DD Arunprabha, was initially scheduled to begin broadcasting on 15 February 2018[15][16], focusing on the North Eastern region of India as a 24/7 satellite television channel. However, its launch was delayed[17] and eventually took place on 9 February 2019.[18]
On 13 April 2020, Prasar Bharati launched DD Retro[21], a channel dedicated to airing classic Hindi serials from Doordarshan. However, the service ceased operations on 1 April 2023 due to low viewership.
On the occasion of World Television Day, Prasar Bharati, India's public broadcaster, made a significant move into the digital streaming landscape with the launch of its own over-the-top (OTT) platform, Waves.[24]
The DD India satellite channel has been broadcast in 146 countries. In the United Kingdom, it was available through the Eurobird satellite on the Sky system's channel 833, under the logo Rayat TV. However, transmission via Sky Digital ended in June 2008, followed by the termination of its broadcast via DirecTV in the United States the following month.
The Ramayan on DD National set a world record by becoming the highest-viewed entertainment programme globally. The 9 pm show on 16 April 2020 was watched by 77 million viewers.[26] The show reached over 285 million viewers during its broadcast. In response to the nationwide lockdown, DD network aired several nostalgic shows, including Mahabharat, Chanakya, Shri Krishna, Malgudi Days, Byomkesh Bakshi, and Shaktimaan. Due to increasing public demand for such content, Prasar Bharati launched DD Retro, a full-time channel dedicated to these classics. Within five weeks of its launch, DD Retro garnered viewership of nearly 50 million. Additionally, DD network played a key role in public messaging during the pandemic, reaching over 400 million viewers with COVID-19 awareness messages and shows during the first wave in 2020.
Doordarshan has been used, particularly during the Emergency, to disseminate government propaganda.[28] During Operation Blue Star in 1984, only government sources were relied upon for reporting the events. Additionally, Doordarshan was involved in the production of a video that claimed acts of violence, which, when investigated by independent journalists, were found to be false.[citation needed]
In 2004, it censored a controversial documentary on Jayaprakash Narayan, an opposition leader during the Emergency.[29]
Since private television channels were authorised in 1991, Doordarshan has experienced a steep decline in viewership.[33] Although Doordarshan earns significant advertising revenue—due to its compulsory feed from the highest bidder for national events, including cricket matches[34]— there has been a proposal to fund the network by imposing a licence fee for owning a television in India.[35]
^Sharmila Mitra Deb (July 2009), Indian Democracy: Problems and Prospects, Anthem Press, 2009, ISBN978-81-907570-4-1, archived from the original on 1 May 2016, retrieved 15 November 2015, the well-known program Krishi Darshan, which started its telecast on January 26, 1967... 'informing' and 'educating' the farmers about improving agricultural productivity
^Singh, Dr Paramveer (5 August 2021). Indian Silver Screen. K.K. Publications. pp. 43, 65, 66. ...The centre broadcasts most of its programs in the Manipuri language...
^Kuldip Nayar Posted: 9 November 2004 at 0012 hrs IST (9 November 2004). "Censoring his own past". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
