Indian diaspora is dying to connect with India: Prasoon Joshi, Prasar Bharati Chairman

Indian diaspora is dying to connect with India, Prasar Bharati chairman Prasoon Joshi said, underscoring the public broadcaster’s ambition to take its WAVES OTT platform global through international distribution partnerships. Speaking on the sidelines of FICCI Frames 2026, Joshi said the opportunity lay in offering compelling Indian content to overseas audiences, as Prasar Bharati explores partnerships with telecom operators to expand the platform’s reach and monetisation potential.

The additional context should sharpen the WAVES OTT section around Prasar Bharati’s plan to work with international telecom operators to distribute and monetise the platform, linking that commercial strategy to Joshi’s comments on the Indian diaspora and the importance of offering compelling Indian content.

Speaking on the sidelines of FICCI Frames 2026, chairman Prasoon Joshi discusses the platform’s international ambitions, investment in content, Indian diaspora and the need to engage younger audiences.

Prasar Bharati is looking to expand the international reach of its WAVES OTT platform through telecom operator partnerships while exploring content collaborations and new formats to attract younger audiences, chairman Prasoon Joshi said in an interview on the sidelines of FICCI Frames 2026.

The public broadcaster is seeking industry participation for a proposed initiative to appoint one or more partners for the international distribution and monetisation of WAVES OTT. The strategy envisages working with overseas telecom operators to reach Indian-origin audiences through bundled entertainment offerings, carrier billing and operator-led marketing, according to the proposed Expression of Interest (EOI).

Joshi said the Indian diaspora offered a natural audience for the platform, provided it could deliver content that resonates with viewers living overseas.

“You should all know that Indian diaspora is dying to connect with India,” he said. “So, if we can give them good content, I think they are waiting for it.”

The international distribution plan identifies markets with significant Indian-origin populations, including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Southeast Asia and parts of Africa. The proposed partner engagement is for two years, with an option to extend it by another year.

The proposed model places telecom operators at the centre of subscriber acquisition, rather than relying primarily on organic downloads through app stores. Partners are expected to help negotiate distribution agreements, integrate carrier billing and secure promotional visibility for the platform in overseas markets.

The EOI envisages a revenue-sharing arrangement, with prospective partners required to outline commercial models, commissions and cost responsibilities. The final commercial framework would be determined at the subsequent request-for-proposal stage. The proposal does not specify a final revenue-sharing percentage or revenue target. Prasar Bharati would retain ownership of its content.

Content and sports collaborations on the table

Alongside its international distribution ambitions, Prasar Bharati is looking at ways to evolve its content strategy and make its programming more relevant to younger audiences.

Asked whether the organisation was considering investments in new intellectual properties, particularly sports, Joshi said it was open to partnerships and reinventing existing formats.

“We are open to collaboration. We are open to reinventing certain things,” he said, adding that the organisation was evolving.

Joshi did not disclose specific investment plans, budgets, proposed sports partnerships or new content properties.

For the public broadcaster, the challenge is to develop programming that can attract audiences across television and digital platforms while retaining its public-service mandate. The international expansion of WAVES OTT also creates an opportunity to distribute Indian programming to overseas viewers through established telecom networks.

Joshi said Prasar Bharati needed to accelerate its adoption of technology and reach younger generations while maintaining a balance between entertainment and cultural responsibility.

“The kind of work culturally Prasar Bharati has to do is to make sure that there is a balance between entertaining people and being responsible to what is important,” he said.

Cinema panel to bring industry perspectives together

Joshi said Prasar Bharati's recently announced cinema panel would serve as a collaborative platform for industry participants to exchange ideas and contribute to the evolution of policy and content-related initiatives.

The panel is intended to bring together different perspectives across the film value chain, including distributors, exhibitors and scriptwriters.

“It's a collaborative place where all the ideas will find confidence. It's an initiative to evolve,” Joshi said, adding that the objective was to ensure that different industry realities were heard and respected.

He said the initiative remained a work in progress, with further details and possible initiatives expected to emerge after discussions. He did not specify the panel's agenda or timeline.

The initiative reflects an effort to bring different parts of the film industry into a common forum, allowing the concerns of those involved in creating, distributing and exhibiting films to inform future discussions.

AI, Indian languages and cultural representation

Joshi also highlighted the role of artificial intelligence in expanding the reach of Indian languages, arguing that technology needed human guidance to ensure that linguistic and cultural diversity was represented appropriately.

He said languages were not merely tools of communication but also carried the cultural identities and experiences of communities. AI could help preserve and extend their reach, but the process required deliberate human intervention.

“AI needs guidance,” he said, adding that people should not simply surrender decision-making to technology.

Joshi cited his experience writing an advertisement for Google featuring Shah Rukh Khan, in which he used his native Kumaoni language and Gemini was shown speaking it. He said such applications demonstrated how technology could be used to represent linguistic diversity.

“The language that makes us diverse should stay alive. The language that divides us should not stay alive,” he said, stressing the need for a nuanced approach to AI.

Authenticity key to engaging younger audiences

Joshi said the abundance of content across platforms had made it increasingly difficult to hold audience attention, making authenticity more important for content creators.

Comparing the situation to people constantly snacking on food, he said viewers were consuming so much content that they could become less receptive to individual programmes.

“People have content indigestion,” he said.

While acknowledging that technology had changed attention spans, Joshi cautioned against treating younger audiences as fundamentally different from earlier generations. He said younger people were bright and capable of offering solutions that older generations might not consider, although patience and concentration remained important.

He also argued that following industry trends without developing distinctive stories could prove counterproductive for filmmakers, particularly when audiences had so many entertainment options.

For Prasar Bharati, the task is to make its content relevant to younger viewers and overseas audiences while preserving its cultural purpose. Its proposed telecom partnerships could provide a distribution route for WAVES OTT in international markets, but the platform's ability to attract and retain viewers will depend on the programming it offers.

As Joshi indicated, expanding access is only part of the equation. The broadcaster will also need content that gives audiences a reason to return.