Panaji (Goa) [India], November 21 : Prasar Bharati, India's public broadcaster, has entered the OTT space with the launch of its new platform, 'Waves'. The app was unveiled on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.
In a conversation with ANI, Navneet Kumar Sehgal, Chairman of Prasar Bharati mentioned that 'Waves' is designed as a complete family entertainer and providing a healthy entertainment.
"There will be a healthy entertainment and you can watch it with the entire family. News channels will be there to tell you about current affairs and what is happening in other countries. Games options will be there for children."
'Waves' offers content in over 12 languages, including Hindi, English, Marathi, Tamil, and Assamese, across genres such as infotainment, gaming, education, and shopping. It features 65 live TV channels, video-on-demand, free-to-play games, and even online shopping in collaboration with ONDC.
He added, "For the first time on an OTT platform, shopping facilities with the ONDC platform. And along with this, you will be able to watch thousands of films on the most popular platforms of the country and the most important thing for us is that the entire archive of Doordarshan, such entertaining programs which we have grown up watching, with which our childhood or youth is connected that we used to watch this serial at that time, all that will also be available. This is a one-stop shop for everyone, for all age categories, for all families, for young people, for women, for everyone. On this OTT platform, there will be a healthy and clean entertainment..."
Gaurav Dwivedi, Chief Executive Officer, Prasar Bharati, shared that apart from increase in number of screenings and associated propperties like tech pavilion, film bazaar and master classes, an OTT app has also been launched at the International Film Festival of India in Goa.
"The number of films, the number of guests and the number of screenings are increasing. The associated properties like the tech pavilion, film bazaar and master classes are also increasing. And this time, Prasar Bharati, which used to be only a broadcaster, now it has directly participated in this as well. Our 'Waves' OTT app was launched yesterday evening during its opening ceremony," said Dwivedi.
The app, available on Android and iOS, aims to deliver diverse content under the tagline "Waves - Family Entertainment Ki Nayi Lehar."
The platform was launched by Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant at the opening ceremony of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) where he called it a significant moment for the Indian entertainment industry.
As per a press note shared by Waves, the chief minister, during the launch said, "I am very happy to see the diverse range of content on the platform, including films and content across languages, especially Konkani."
Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said, "Waves OTT is a significant step in the government's Digital India vision. It bridges the digital media and entertainment divide by providing rural audiences access to content via BharatNet."
Navneet Kumar Sehgal, Chairman of Prasar Bharati, mentioned that 'Waves' is designed as a "one-stop hub" for family-friendly entertainment, education, and shopping.
"It provides clean content for families, kids, and youth while showcasing India's rich cultural heritage," he said.
CEO Gaurav Dwivedi added that the OTT platform aims to support young creators. "It opens its platform to content creators like National Creator Awardees Kamiya Jani, RJ Raunac, and others. We've also partnered with film schools like FTII and Annapurna for student films," he added.
'Waves' will screen new films and shows during IFFI 2024, including 'Roll No.52' by Nagarjuna and Amala Akkineni, 'Fauji 2.0' starring Gauhar Khan, and Guneet Monga Kapoor's 'Kicking Balls'. Other offerings include music shows, animations like 'Chota Bheem', and crime thrillers.
Live content includes 'Mann Ki Baat', Ayodhya's Prabhu Shriram Lalla Aarti, and international events like the US Premier League Cricket Tournament. Waves has also partnered with CDAC for a cyber-security awareness campaign.