NEW DELHI: Public broadcaster Doordarshan plans to have a dual programming feed for DD Sports, its sports channel. A separate feed with different programming will be aired on the channel carried by cable and private DTH platforms, even as DD Sports continues to air sporting events on its terrestrial network and DD Free Dish.
The decision comes on the back of the Supreme Court verdict in August, which directed DD to discontinue airing sporting events of national importance on cable and private direct-to-home (DTH) operators. Governing body Prasar Bharati now appears to have planned a series of changes in the way DD will air sports programming henceforth.
To begin with, sports programming feeds it gets from private broadcasters have been moved from flagship channel DD National to DD Sports. “All sporting events of national importance will be aired on DD Sports predominantly. We have started doing this with the (ongoing) U17 FIFA World Cup,” Shashi Shekhar Vempati, chief executive officer at Prasar Bharati told Mint.
“It looked like a setback but it is an opportunity for us. We won’t disrupt the programming of DD National. DD Sports will now get an identity and purpose which was long overdue,” Vempati added.
