Prasar Bharati Content Syndication Policy Favours Media Bigwigs?

An independent stakeholder has said that India’s public service broadcaster Prasar Bharati drafted its new Content Syndication Policy around revenue-driven mainstream media and overlooked independent creators who cannot afford — and may not need — their full packaged catalogues, an RTI response addressed to MediaNama has revealed.

Notably, Prasar Bharati has received a total of six submissions for this policy. Among the responders, only Zee and Shemaroo are renowned media companies. Meanwhile, Prasar Bharti also received comments from a freelance content creator and an individual apparently representing an unnamed organisation, among others.

Freelancer Asks About Licensing Provisions For Content Creators

Interestingly, a freelance science communicator and content creator, Pankaj Bhambhani, wrote to Prasar Bharati with the intention of using the public broadcaster’s ‘Brahmand’ series for educational purposes in a manner similar to how the Science of Symphony used Carl Sagan’s Cosmos series: which was produced by the US’s Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Channel. 

Bhambhani raised two key concerns about Prasar Bharati’s content policy. First, he inquired whether creators can utilise Prasar Bharati’s archival content for non-commercial and educational purposes, and sought clarity on the permission process for freelance creators.

Second, he questioned the licensing and fee structure for creators who want to use short clips, such as five-minute segments from longer series, for non-commercial work. He said that the current pricing model benefits large production houses and remains too expensive for independent creators, and asked whether Prasar Bharati can create simpler options for such requests.

To fully understand why considering independent content creators is valid and necessary, readers must recall Prasar Bharati offering free content to YouTubers via its PB-Shabd wire service, following the ANI vs. YouTubers controversy, which resulted in ANI filing multiple copyright strikes and even a few lawsuits.

While we are unsure how many users are utilising PB-Shadb on a regular basis and how effectively they are benefitting from the copyright-free content provided by the public broadcaster, the questions Bhambhani asked point towards a potential market for Prasar Bharati to explore, which could be beneficial for both creators and India’s public broadcaster.  

What Did Shemaroo Say?

Shemaroo, the Mumbai-based media and entertainment company that creates, aggregates, and distributes movies, TV shows, and music, emphasises that syndication is crucial for extending the lifecycle and relevance of intellectual property (IP), highlighting how great content can fade away when IP owners fail to syndicate their content consistently. 

According to Shemaroo, monetisation through syndication is a slow, long-term process with varying lifecycles, rights, audiences, and pricing models. The Mumbai-based…