Prasar Bharti launches 'Waves', a Free OTT App with 40 Live Channels, Archives, and Live Events

Doordarshan, India's public broadcaster, has revealed its OTT (Over-The-Top) platform, 'WAVES'. The platform's goal is to rekindle nostalgia while also embracing modern digital trends by providing a diverse mix of vintage and contemporary programming. With a library of classic productions such as Ramayan, Mahabharat, Shaktimaan, and Hum Log, the platform appeals to people seeking cultural and emotional connections to India's past. Additionally, it provides news, documentaries, and regional content.

'WAVES' will provide content in 12+ languages, including Hindi, English, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Assamese. It will be distributed throughout more than ten different genres of entertainment. It will include video on demand, free-to-play gaming, radio streaming, live TV streaming, 65 live channels, multiple app-in-app integrations for video and gaming content, and online shopping via the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)-supported e-commerce platform.

WAVES also provides a forum for content makers, including National Creator Award recipients such as Kamiya Jani, RJ Raunac, Shraddha Sharma, and others. WAVES has extended its gateway to student graduation films from cinema and media institutes such as FTII, Annapurna, and AAFT.

In keeping with the 55th IFFI's emphasis on young filmmakers, WAVES will show 'Roll No.52,' a student grad film from Annapurna Film and Media Studio by Nagarjuna and Amala Akkineni.

WAVES will air Fauji 2.0, a new rendition of Shahrukh Khan's popular 1980s show Fauji, 'Kicking Balls' by Oscar-winning Guneet Monga Kapoor, 'Jackson Halt', a crime thriller, and 'Jaiye Aap Kahan Jayenge', a mobile toilet-themed film.

WAVES provides live events such as the Prabhu Shriram Lalla Aarti LIVE from Ayodhya and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's monthly Mann ki Baat. The forthcoming US Premier League Cricket Tournament will be aired LIVE on WAVES beginning November 22nd, 2024. WAVES will also launch a cyber security awareness campaign with daily video messages in collaboration with CDAC and MeitY. This campaign is supported by programmes such as Cyber Crime ki Duniya (a dramatized series) and Cyber Alert (DD News segments).

Other films and shows on WAVES include fantasy action super hero 'Monkey King: The Hero is Back,' the national award-winning Fouja, Armaan, Vipul Shah's thriller show Bhed Bharam, family drama Thode Door Thode Paas featuring Pankaj Kapoor, Kailash Kher's music reality show Bharat ka Amrit Kalash, Sarpanch, BeCubed by Hotmail Founder Sabeer Bhatia, and women-centric shows and films such as Corporate Sarpanch, Dashmi, and Kariathi, Jaanki. 

WAVES also provides a variety of popular cartoon shows such as Doggy Adventure, Chota Bheem, Tenaliram, and Akbar Birbal, as well as games such as Krishna Jump, Fruit Chef, Ram the Yodha, and the Cricket Premier League.

WAVES' repertory of content formats, language, genre, and reach is being expanded by live channels such as Doordarshan and Akashvani, as well as private channels in a variety of areas such as news, general entertainment, music, devotion, and sports.

Central government ministries and states are also collaborating with Prasar Bharati to co-develop and supply a variety of programming, including docudramas, dramatized or fictionalized shows, and reality shows with entertainment value, as an effective vehicle for meaningful messages. Some content includes a video commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Supreme Court of India, the NFDC archives named Cinemas of India, and unique archival content from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry such as historical images, journals, and publications.