Prasar Bharati policy to auction archival content rights courts controversy

Responding to criticism, Prasar Bharati chief executive officer (CEO) Shashi Shekhar Vempati said the policy in question was being misinterpreted

Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati’s latest policy to allow traditional media and over the top (OTT) platforms to purchase archival contentrights has landed in controversy with a Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) writing to Union minister for information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur, asking him to stop it.

Prasar Bharati chief executive officer (CEO) Shashi Shekhar Vempati has said that the new notified policy on monetisation of archival content rights was being misinterpreted (Photo Courtesy-Twitter)

Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP S Ventakeshan, who represents Madurai, Tamil Nadu, has written to Thakur calling the move “disgusting”, and claiming that “marketing of historical treasures may have an adverse impact on the polity and tranquillity of the country”.

Prabhu Chawla, editorial director at the New Indian Express, too, questioned the move. “If it is true, then how can PB sell India’s recorded history to private players including foreigners? Would GOI [government of India] pay the foreigners for its future use? Brits took away earlier records. Now this? Who is an insider working for outsiders,” Chawla wrote on Twitter.

Responding to criticism, Prasar Bharati chief executive officer (CEO) Shashi Shekhar Vempati said the policy in question was being misinterpreted. “There is no such decision. A recently notified policy for syndicating content rights seems to have been misinterpreted,” he replied on Twitter.

Vempati further clarified that the copyrights for all the footage will remain with Prasar Bharati. HT on Saturday reported that Prasar Bharti is planning to allow satellite TV channels and internet streaming content providers the option of purchasing archival content rights that dates back to before the Independence, a move meant to boost revenues and digitisation.

The content includes a trove of rich footage, such as the constituent assembly debates and of moments that were significant milestones for the country. These will be syndicated to bidders through an e-auction, the notified policy said.

“The policy will ensure that archival and premium content of Prasar Bharati is syndicated to third parties through an open and transparent mechanism of e-auction in order to fetch the maximum market value of content on demand basis,” Prasar Bharati said in a notification dated October 8.

“Prasar Bharati, the Public Service Broadcaster has played a key role in modern times in preservation and promotion of Indian culture, history and values. This has been the key factor in content creation since [its ] inception. Prasar Bharati has accumulated rich and heritage content in its centralised repository at archives as well as a number of stations, kendras located in all corners of the nation. News division of AIR (All India Radio) & DD (Doordarshan) too have an illustrious recording of many important milestones of development of India,” it added.

“The TV channels as well as the new channels on OTT (over-the-top services) are continuously looking for good saleable content. This has created a demand for programme content of Prasar Bharati in India and overseas for the purpose of broadcast as well as streaming on Digital Platforms,” the notification said.