By Goutham Juttukonda (Sem. I)
India’s public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has launched its new streaming platform ‘Waves’, with Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant doing the honours at the opening ceremony of 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
The launch marks a major step for Prasar Bharati, as it ventures into the growing OTT platform space with a complete infotainment ecosystem.
Many new films and shows are already on Waves, including some which are to be screened at IFFI, such as ‘Roll No. 52’ — made by a student grad from Annapurna Film & Media Studio — and ‘Fauji 2.0,’ a modern adaption of Shah Rukh Khan’s show Fauji.
The platform will also evoke some nostalgia as it brings to the viewers a range of classic content from its archives, including Ramayana, Mahabharata, Shaktimaan, Hum Log, Buniyaad, Bharat Ek Khoj, etc.
As it comes from a public broadcaster, Waves will also carry many social awareness campaigns, such as on cyber security awareness partnering with CDAC, MeitY. Central government ministries and some States have also joined hands with Prasar Bharati to co-develop and deliver content such as docudramas, fictional shows, and reality shows with entertainment value as well as a message.
Waves promises Indian stories with an international outlook. It offers content in 10 genres of infotainment in more than 12 languages. It also offers video-on-demand, 65 live TV channels, and online shopping through open network for digital commerce (ONDC)-supported e-commerce platform.
The visual experience of Waves platform fuses Indian ethos with a modern look-and-feel. It comes with a friendly user interface, cross-platform compatibility, personalised profiles, and curated playlists.
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