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4PS B&M INSIDER DOORDARSHAN
DDarn! They’ve DDone it again!
Doordarshan is too staid and boring... Yeah right, so what’s new? Ratan Lal Bhagat of 4Ps B&M screams out loud why we’re all Rip Van Winkles and why DD now has the top 10 prime time shows!!!

Does the mere mention of Krishi Darshan make you break out in teary-eyed nostalgia? Pardon our trite gluttonous presumptions, but if you’re one of those who still buy multiple rerun DVDs of extinct Doordarshan (DD, if you please) weeklies like Chitrahaar, or Chandrakanta, then this article is obviously not for you. But for all the others this side of Proxima Centauri, who truly believe – like I did before I started writing this article – that DD is as out of fashion a channel as Elton John’s atrocious dressing sense, may I kindly correct you dear gentlemen! As on date, as per TAM data, the top ten programmes watched “during Prime Time are from DD1 across all platforms.” And if that weren’t enough dope to send Cobain (god rest your soul Kurt) to eighth heaven, then eat this – DD1 now gets “the highest share even in the news time band among both Hindi and English news channels!!!” And that figure also holds in the cable and satellite platforms!

There! I said it! If you found the figures shocking and unbelievable, my advice is, take your time, as these figures don’t seem to be going away anywhere and cannot simply be wished away. DD’s fantastic rebirth seems to be more stunning than Bachchan’s in Don, and better in money terms too!

To its credit, DD – started a whopping 50 years ago in 1959 by the government – of course used to have great products ranging from the mass audience pulling Hum Log, Buniyaad, Nukkad, Fauji to the beyond legendary episodes of Ramayan and Mahabharat. These popular programmes, serials and mythological dramas did have millions glued to the channel in the eighties and even in the early nineties. The Indian audience of that era grew on the entertainment and information imparted by . But all these names faded into oblivion over time and DD seemed to be truly a thing of the past. DD, since the opening up of airwaves in 1992, evidently and slowly lost its presence and significance among the medley of sprawling general entertainment channels (GECs) across the nation; its first mover’s advantage clearly rendered useless by the entry of stalwart private channels like Star, Zee, Sony, NDTV etc.

Then what in heavens changed the equation where DD has again rocked the vogue yacht to rule again? “Reach! Reach! Reach! And of course, better viewership metrics and analysis by rating agencies,” argues Namita Chhetri, CEO, ICMR (Indian Council for Market Research). It’s astounding that currently, more than 90% of the Indian population receives DD terrestrially. Not many are aware that DD operates through as many as 30 channels – seven all India channels (DD National, DD News, DD Sports, DD Gyandarshan, DD Bharti, DD Rajya Sabha and DD Urdu), 11 regional languages satellite channels, 11 state networks and an international channel (DD India) available in 146 countries!

When I meet B. S. Lali, CEO, Prasar Bharati (a state run holding company looking after the operations of Doordarshan and All India Radio), the first impression he gives me is of an extremely shrewd and intelligent strategist – a commodity rarer in government departments than Stephen Covey’s management manual. Lali surprisingly gives a cryptic response to my query on DD’s stupendous current leadership, “India is a diverse country and we want to cater to that diversity keeping the integrity of the nation intact through our programmes. We put forward information, education, and entertainment along with the former two.” Patriotic answer? Yes! But the reason for DD’s leadership? Umm...

Though the figures are all but undeniable. The reach of DD is un

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