Doordarshan, ICCR join hands to scale Indian cultural content across platforms

Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati’s Doordarshan has entered into a three-year content partnership with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations to expand the global footprint of Indian cultural programming across television, radio and digital platforms.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on April 7 at Doordarshan Bhawan in New Delhi, aims to strengthen India’s cultural diplomacy by leveraging Doordarshan’s multi-platform distribution network to showcase cultural content curated by ICCR.

The agreement was signed by Doordarshan Director General K. Satish Nambudiripad and ICCR Director General K. Nandini Singla in the presence of senior officials from both organisations.

Under the partnership, ICCR will supply cultural content, including performances and events आयोजित by Indian Missions abroad such as embassies, consulates and cultural centres, along with programmes from its headquarters and regional offices. Doordarshan, in turn, will handle production, coverage and dissemination across its television channels, radio networks, OTT platforms and social media handles.

The collaboration also enables the broadcast of recorded content sourced from Indian Missions overseas, widening access to Indian cultural programming for global audiences.

A key provision of the MoU is joint ownership of content rights in perpetuity, including digital rights, allowing both entities to archive and reuse content over the long term. Doordarshan will additionally undertake pre-event promotion and cross-platform amplification to drive audience engagement.

The public broadcaster will also explore monetisation opportunities arising from the partnership, signalling a push towards making cultural broadcasting more financially sustainable.

The agreement is initially valid for three years, with an option to extend by mutual consent. The move is expected to enhance the visibility of India’s cultural heritage internationally while aligning state-backed cultural outreach with evolving digital consumption trends.