Prasar Bharati Launches Waves OTT at IFFI

Prasar Bharati, the national public broadcaster launched Waves its OTT platform at the International Film Festival of India, Goa (IFFI).

Waves was launched by Dr. Pramod Sawant, Honourable Chief Minister, Goa. Speaking at the launch he said “It is indeed a momentous occasion for the Indian entertainment industry with the launch of Waves OTT. I am very happy to see the diverse range of content on the platform, including a host of films  and content across languages including Konkani.”.

Shri Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, present at the launch said  “Waves OTT marks a significant step in the Indian government's Digital India vision. The Comprehensive, inclusive and diverse OTT will bridge the digital media and entertainment divide, on the back of its collaboration with BharatNet for last mile connectivity to rural audience.”

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Waves makes its entry  as a wide-reaching aggregator OTT , with Inclusive India stories embracing Indian culture with an international outlook, in 12+ Languages - Hindi, English, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Punjabi, Assamese, spread across 10+ genres of Infotainment; Video on demand, free-to-play gaming, Radio streaming, Live TV streaming, 65 live Channels, several App in App integrations  (LionsGate PTC, to name a few) for video and gaming content (Mud Games, Tag Labs, Freak X Games and Game Tech Point), educational content (like PACE bringing test prep tutorials for students) and online shopping through CSC-SPV’s ONDC supported e-commerce platform.

Chairman, Prasad Bharati, Shri Navneet Kumar Sehgal said “as part of our commitment towards healthy family entertainment and providing window for India’s rich and vast cultural landscape we are bringing one stop information hub to the millions of Indian homes. Waves is one of the only OTT networks which is your window to not only the world of clean family entertainment but also to shopping, games and news and current affairs for kids and youth. A bonanza for all.”

Under its notified Content Acquisition Policy 2024 for acquiring content for Waves OTT, Prasar Bharati has curated a strong content lineup to satisfy diverse tastes of subscribers in all age groups across urban, metros, middle India and NRI audiences who seek Indian / regional / International viewing experience.

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Shri Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO of Prasar Bharati, at the event said, “Waves, brings a wide range of  content for clean family viewing, into every Indian home that can use this platform to watch, listen, read, play, shop in a curated environment. As a conscious step to unlock the potential of young creators in the creative economy, Waves also offers its platform to content creators like the National Creator Awardees - Kamiya Jani, RJ Raunac, Shraddha Sharma of Your Story, Tech Guru Gaurav Chaudhary some of who are at IFFI.” Waves has opened its portal to student grad films, and film and media colleges like FTII, Annapurna, AAFT have partnered with Prasar Bharati on Waves.

New Films and shows on Waves to be screened at IFFI include Roll No.52 a student grad film from Annapurna Film and media Studio by Nagarjuna and Amala Akkineni aligning with the Young Film Maker’s theme of IFFI ‘24; Fauji 2.0 a modern adaptation of the iconic 1980s Shahrukh Khan show Fauji, and will be screened by Director Sandeep Singh and cast Gauhar Khan. The other films to be screened are Oscar winner Guneet Monga Kapoor’s social change film Kicking Balls a true story on child marriages and will screened by Guneet; Jackson Halt a crime thriller will be screened by Producer Neetu Chandra and Jaiye Aap Kahan Jayenge with a social message of mobile toilets screened by Sanjay Mishra.

Spotlight on Waves includes Live events like the Prabhu Shriram Lalla Aarti live from Ayodhya and the monthly Mann ki Baat by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The upcoming US Premier League Cricket Tournament will be carried live on WAVES from 22 November. WAVES has also launched a Cyber Security awareness campaign with Daily Video messages in partnership with CDAC, MeitY. This campaign is backed by programmes such as Cyber Crime ki Duniya (a fictionalized series) and Cyber Alert (by DD News features).

Some other films and shows on WAVES are Fantasy action super hero Monkey King the Hero is Back, the national award winner film Fouja, Armaan, Vipul Shah’s thriller show Bhed Bharam, family drama Thode Door Thode Paas featuring Pankaj Kapoor, Kailash Kher’s music reality show Bharat ka Amrit Kalash, Sarpanch, BeCubed by Hotmail Founder Sabeer Bhatia, women centric shows and films Corporate Sarpanch, Dashmi, and Kariathi, Jaanki. WAVES also carries a selection of popular animation programs including Doggy Adventure, Chota Bheem, Tenaliram, Akbar Birbal, and games like Krishna Jump, Fruit Chef, Ram the Yodha, Cricket Premier League tournament.

Expanding the repertoire of content formats, language, genre and reach on Waves are Live channels including Doordarshan, Akashvani, and private channels across multiple categories such as news, general entertainment, music, devotional, sports.

Central Government ministries and states are also joining hands with Prasar Bharati to co-develop or contribute varied content such as docudramas, dramatized or fictionalized shows, reality shows with entertainment value, as an effective vehicle for meaningful messages.

Some content includes a documentary on the 75th anniversary of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, cyber security awareness with CDAC MeitY, the NFDC archives titled Cinemas of India, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s rare archival content like historical photos compiled in subject-wise photos albums, and Journals and publications. The Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Finance, IGNCA, Ministry of Culture and India Post have also contributed informative and entertaining programming to WAVES.

The Digital Experience of Waves fuses Indian ethos with modern look and feel, friendly UI/UX, cross-Platform compatibility, personalized profiles and Curated Playlists. Waves is an OTT with a difference – it provides an e-commerce platform in collaboration with ONDC/ CSC-SPV that will promote MSMEs and local enterprises, fostering their growth and visibility.

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