India
Prasar Bharati Opens Doors to AI Startups to Transform WAVES, Doordarshan and Akashvani Content: rasar Bharati is moving to expand the use of artificial intelligence across its broadcasting and digital ecosystem, inviting agencies, studios, startups and technology companies to participate in a proposed new framework for AI-enabled content creation, localisation, digital-human technologies and archive restoration.
The public broadcaster has issued a proposed Expression of Interest (EOI) seeking industry feedback on the empanelment of organisations capable of supporting its content requirements across WAVES, Doordarshan, Akashvani, DD India and other digital platforms. The initiative is designed to create a broader technology ecosystem while maintaining editorial oversight, legal compliance and technological sovereignty.
Nine Areas Identified for AI-Enabled Content
The proposed framework covers nine categories, ranging from short-form digital content to feature films and advanced AI technologies. These include:
- Short-form content of 30 seconds to three minutes
- Micro dramas of one to five minutes
- Music videos of two to six minutes
- Intermediate series of eight to 10 minutes
- Regular series of 25 to 30 minutes
- Feature films of 90 minutes or more
- Archive repurposing and restoration
- AI localisation, translation and dubbing
- AI avatars, digital humans and virtual presenters
The initiative goes beyond using AI simply as a production tool, with Prasar Bharati exploring AI-generated video, image-to-video and audio-to-video workflows, personalised media, digital presenters and AI-native intellectual property.
Focus on WAVES and India’s Vast Broadcasting Archives
A major component of the initiative is the modernisation and repurposing of Prasar Bharati’s extensive Doordarshan and Akashvani archives, which contain decades of cultural, historical and journalistic material.
AI-assisted technologies could be used for denoising, colour enhancement, upscaling, reframing, metadata creation and contextual repackaging, enabling legacy material to be made more accessible to contemporary audiences through WAVES and other digital platforms.
Prasar Bharati’s proposed framework follows the expansion of its digital ecosystem, including WAVES OTT, launched in November 2024, alongside digital publishing and multilingual-content initiatives.
AI Anchors and Digital Humans Under the Spotlight
One of the more notable elements is a dedicated category for AI avatars, digital humans and virtual presenters.
Companies participating in this category would need to demonstrate consent mechanisms when using the likeness, voice or persona of real individuals. The framework also proposes disclosure to audiences when presenters are AI-generated.
Prasar Bharati is additionally seeking multilingual digital-human capabilities, including real-time or near-real-time lip synchronisation across Indian languages.
Strong Safeguards for Synthetic Media
The proposed EOI places significant emphasis on responsible AI.
Applicants would be expected to provide safeguards concerning consent, copyright, AI-model licensing, data governance and synthetic media. AI-generated or AI-assisted content would require human editorial sign-off before being considered broadcast-ready.
The framework also proposes machine-readable provenance records, such as C2PA or equivalent standards, identifying AI tools, models and workflows used in creating content.
Startup-Friendly Framework
Prasar Bharati is seeking to lower traditional barriers for emerging technology companies. The proposed EOI does not prescribe a minimum turnover requirement, with demonstrated technical and creative capability taking precedence over conventional financial thresholds.
Eligible participants may include startups, studios, creative agencies, technology companies, animation and VFX firms, post-production companies, localisation specialists, digital-human studios and consortiums.
A proposed paid pilot track could also allow emerging companies without extensive broadcast-scale experience to demonstrate their capabilities through short AI-generated or localisation samples.
Indian AI and Technological Sovereignty
The proposed framework also places emphasis on technological sovereignty. Applicants would need to disclose the AI models, platforms and APIs used in their workflows, including information about their origin and licensing.
While Indian-developed AI is not mandatory, the EOI indicates that preference may be given to Indian-developed or open-source AI technologies, India-hosted deployments and architectures that reduce dependence on foreign model providers.
Multilingual Content Could Expand Reach
Language localisation is another major focus. Prasar Bharati is seeking capabilities in translation, dubbing, voice adaptation, lip synchronisation, subtitles and accessibility services covering Indian and international languages, including regional and tribal languages.
For a public broadcaster serving a linguistically diverse country, AI-assisted localisation could provide new mechanisms for taking existing and newly created content to audiences across multiple language markets.
Commercial Opportunities to Follow Separately
The proposed EOI is for empanelment and does not guarantee work, minimum business or financial commitments from Prasar Bharati. Specific projects would subsequently be considered through mechanisms such as limited RFPs, thematic briefs, pitch requests, pilots, innovation challenges, rate discovery or work orders.
The framework also contemplates different commercial models, including revenue sharing, royalties, co-production, licensing, original-IP development, pilots and technology demonstrations.
A New Chapter for Public Broadcasting
The proposed initiative signals an important expansion of Prasar Bharati’s approach to emerging media technology. Rather than treating AI solely as a production tool, the framework encompasses content creation, multilingual distribution, archive preservation, digital humans, audience engagement and OTT-native programming.
The initiative could create opportunities for India’s AI startups and creative-technology companies to work with one of the country’s largest public broadcasting ecosystems, while the proposed safeguards seek to address the editorial, legal, ethical and technological challenges associated with synthetic media.
The EOI is currently positioned as a framework for industry participation and feedback; individual commercial assignments would follow through subsequent processes.
