Doordarshan may be a white elephant, but can be turned around on the lines of the BBC.
From just one channel, to over 700 channels, the Indian TV industry has
come a long way. With 150 million households having TVs, India is the
third largest market in the world after China and the US. During this
unprecedented growth, Doordarshan has dramatically lost viewership,
thanks to the satellite TV boom.
Although Doordarshan has achieved over 90 per cent reach in the country,
it is not the preferred channel for people across the country who have a
choice of channels. The story of AIR is no different. Private radio
channels have been able to attract listeners quite effortlessly.
Such a phenomenon is not limited to DD/AIR. If we look at other fields
that have witnessed private participation after Government monopoly,
Government organisations like BSNL or Indian Airlines have miserably
failed to retain their customer base, due to their lackadaisical
attitude. It is a matter of survival for the private players, and hence
they are competitive.
The recent news that Information and Broadcasting Minister has set up a
committee under Sam Pitroda to suggest improvements in Prasar Bharati
(which controls Doordarshan and AIR) is good to hear.
But recommendations of various committees in the past have yielded no
result. What will change now? Can DD embrace the much-talked-about BBC
model?
BBC Model
Globally, there are over 30 public service broadcasters (PSB), and most
of them have built trust value with the public. The most popular PSB is
undoubtedly BBC. In fact, UK is credited with pioneering the "arm's
length" relationship between the State and the public broadcaster. The
BBC is autonomous and enjoys sufficient independence, preventing
political or bureaucratic interference to a large extent. No wonder, BBC
News has been the most trusted news source in the UK and across the
globe.
Every TV owner in UK pays an annual licence fee. (This is much like the
radio licence fee that existed in India long back). This fee is the main
source of income for BBC as a PSB. In other parts of the world, PSBs
are funded through a mix of licence fees, Government grants and
advertisements.
BBC has managed to always stay ahead of competition through technology
leadership. The latest financial report shows that over 70 per cent of
the licence fee was spent directly on programmes, or the property and
technology infrastructure to support their production.
BBC strives to deliver "value-for-money" to its audience through
distinctive, high quality programmes. BBC's PSB supports multiple
national and regional TV channels/radio stations and an extensive
website. BBC's ability to provide innovative and distinctive content
helps attract audience across age groups. For example CBBC and CBeebies,
the flagship children's channels are extremely popular even outside the
UK. In addition to the public broadcasting channel, BBC has other
channels that have different revenue streams.
Quality content
With this background, it looks like an overwhelming task to get DD
anywhere close to BBC. However, with the right structural reforms which
can reduce Government interference, there certainly is still hope.
It is shocking that DD has not learnt from other global PSBs who have
managed to stay competitive in the presence of private players.
It is evident that DD lacks in-depth understanding of the changing
market dynamics. This is the age of infotainment where information and
entertainment are seamlessly integrated to attract audiences.
DD must focus on building trust with the people. It is not an easy task
and may take several years. This would include some serious and
sustained effort in creating high quality content that can connect with
the public. This, coupled with strong marketing effort, is urgently
needed. In addition, it is imperative that the DD re-skills existing
employees and/or acquires the right talent.
Production quality must be improved with investment in infrastructure
and technology. Why can't DD tie-up with the best production houses in
the country? Can DD champion mobile TV in India? DD's presence in
Internet and social media is absolutely miserable. But without good
quality content, social media will be of limited use.
PSBs like DD have to fulfil social responsibilities, including strengthening national identity and culture.
DD conveniently ignores any comparison with private players due to the
PSB tag. People look for entertainment value and the name of broadcaster
hardly matters. Right now, even private channels are struggling to
differentiate themselves from each other.
Can DD come up with a fresh idea by leveraging its exclusive access in
Government offices and unmatched rich archives? DD can make a huge
impact in the education segment. Although the idea behind UGC's
education programmes must be lauded, it failed to resonate among
students due to below-par implementation.
Perhaps, DD could join hands with private players and provide creative
programmes around education, career counselling, skill enhancements or
language classes. How about coaching classes for IIT JEE or infotainment
programmes for the agriculture sector? Regular audience feedback on the
lines of BBC's Appreciation Index (AI) score is absolutely essential.
Create alternate PSB
Reports suggest that the government spends close to Rs. 1,800 crore
annually on Doordarshan, but DD's revenue is about Rs 1,000 crore.
Where is the accountability? As long as Government funds DD, there is
hardly any motivation for DD to be competitive or profitable.
The Government should gradually reduce funding and ask DD to come up with innovate ways of revenue generation.
Should the Government start charging a licence fee from TV owners?
That's the easy option. But why should public pay for mediocre content?
Instead, Can DD should start a commercial channel that can compete with
private players?
This should, in turn, fund public service broadcasting. Can DD become a
navratna company by 2020? The other option is to create competition to
DD by allowing another PSB in India. Some aggressive targets are needed
for reviving this white elephant.
DD has a long way to go before it can emulate the BBC model. While we
wait for Sam Pitroda committee's recommendation with interest, the
Government's willingness to implement the recommendations will be the
key. For a change, let's hope the Government will surprise us with
action.
(The author is Vice-President at Symphony Teleca. The views are personal.)
(This article was published on February 17, 2013)
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