In a recent development, India’s public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati has allowed GeoBroadcast Solutions to test its MaxxCasting and ZoneCasting systems on their radio network, All India Radio (AIR), beginning with its radio stations in Delhi and Bengaluru.
As per the announcement, the approval came in on April 5 after a series of meetings and presentations spanning nearly 36 months.
It is believed that Prasar Bharati is encouraging India’s broadcasters to more effectively reach minority groups and multi-language speaking residents. This step is in alignment with the government’s goal to better serve India’s diverse population through the use of new technologies.
Speaking on the announcement, Sunil Srivastava, additional director general, Prasar Bharati said, “Team All India Radio recognizes the potential of the proposal of GBS to test this innovative technology. With this the broadcast stations will be able to reach the individual cultural communities in India through a single frequency.”
“Prasar Bharati’s radio tower infrastructure will provide the engineers with the necessary foundation to design and implement a network of zones that is expected to reach unique populations through a single broadcast platform,” he added.
Moreover, GeoBroadcast was introduced to Prasar Bharati through Dev Banad Viswanath, a NY-based attorney with U.S. and Indian ties to the broadcast community.
“Nothing pleases me more than to bring to my native country the latest advances in the radio industry. ZoneCasting will be an incredibly valuable asset for the National Broadcast community in India and will help diversify the reach of broadcasters’ programming,” Viswanath said.
Furthermore, scheduled for mobilization beginning in mid-April, NBH Delhi (FM Gold 106.4 Mhz 20 KW) and Bengaluru (Rainbow 101.3 Mhz or VBS 102.9) has a combined listenership of 23 million in the country.
Paul Littleton, chief technology officer at GeoBroadcast Solutions, said, “It was developed precisely to segment sections of the broadcast signal and reach unique communities and populations. This deployment will help Prasar Bharati continue reaching its listeners vastly while, additionally, customizing the content to such a varied audience.”
The installation will be ready for trial by the end of the summer, the company stated.