After iPod and Internet television, now it is 'cellivision' which is set to hit urban commuters, with Doordarshan expecting to launch it in about two months.
Giving details of DD's forays into the state-of-the-art broadcasting technologies, public broadcaster Prasar Bharati's CEO B S Lalli on Thursday said the test runs for the broadcasting TV channels on dedicated cellphones in Delhi has been successful and the commercial launch is likely to be in May.
Stating that the business model for the Mobile TV is yet to be finalised, Lalli said the major challenge before the broadcaster is the content part of mobile TV.
"It has to be smart, snappy, and relevant. The same programme may have to re-telecast in a more sharp way," Lalli said, adding that the preferences of the urbanite on the move have to be taken into account.
Elaborating on the new service, Lalli said mobile TV will have four channels to begin with, which may be increased to ten later and could go up to a maximum of 15 channels.
The CEO clarified that the DD's foray into this high-tech field was 'completely vendor-neutral' and it has no commercial tie-up with any mobile manufacturer.
"A DVB-H compatible handset made by any mobile manufacturer, Nokia, LG, Samsung, Sony-Ericsson or Siemens, can receive mobile TV broadcast," he said.
Lalli said the initial cost of the TV compatible handset has been bit too steep at Rs 32,000 -- more than a normal TV in the drawing room. "It has brought it down to Rs 18,000 and we hope it will be around Rs 6,000 soon."
Prasar Bharati CEO also said as a part of a pilot project, Doordarshan is also hoping to put some High Definition Televisions (HDTV) in operation before the start of Commonwealth Games in 2010.
On DTH, Lalli said with the switchover to Indian satellite Insat-4B this month, DD has not only saved foreign exchange which was going to Netherlands satellite owning company, but also covers more geographical area as it is nearer to the country.
Stating that Prasar Bharati will explore ways to earn money by inviting pay channels on its DTH platform, Lalli ruled out the cost burden on the subscriber. "DTH will always remain free for the subscribers."
He said Prasar Bharti, often accused of being a loss making enterprise, is going to be 'aggressive' in marketing and hopes to overcome loss of Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion) in 'a very short time' during this fiscal.
Without giving details of strategies for making up for the loss, Lalli said it will be on the lines of AIR which earned a revenue of Rs 9 crore (Rs 90 million), far high from the targeted Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million).
Prasar Bharati also said there will be 24x7 Urdu channel. "This will be pan-India and will have all the flavours of Deccan, Lucknowi and Chandini Chowk urdu culture. Best names in programming field are being consulted to make it a success," Lalli said.
The folk classics of regional languages are also sought to be preserved and promoted with slotting of special programmes for the purpose, he said.
