Prasar Bharati FY25 revenue has taken a hit, and the numbers tell an interesting story of a public broadcaster investing heavily in its digital future while its traditional revenue streams shrink. According to Prasar Bharati’s Annual Report 2024-25, total revenue fell 9.46% to ₹1,643.35 crore in FY2024-25, down from ₹1,815.07 crore in FY2023-24 — a drop of ₹171.72 crore. Doordarshan’s commercial revenue took the hardest hit, tumbling nearly 31%.
At the same time, the broadcaster’s accounts show a massive jump in spending on its new streaming platform, WAVES OTT — from just ₹1.85 crore in FY24 to ₹258.50 crore in FY25. For an organisation that employs thousands of people across Doordarshan, Akashvani, and its digital wing, this mix of falling ad revenue and rising OTT investment matters. Here’s the complete breakdown, including what it could mean for Prasar Bharati employees going forward.
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Prasar Bharati FY25 Revenue – Key Facts
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Join Now| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Reporting Period | FY 2024-25 (April 2024 – March 2025) |
| Total Revenue FY25 | ₹1,643.35 crore |
| Total Revenue FY24 | ₹1,815.07 crore |
| Year-on-Year Change | Down 9.46% (₹171.72 crore drop) |
| Largest Revenue Source | DD FreeDish (DTH) – ₹1,060.71 crore |
| Steepest Decline | Doordarshan commercial revenue – down 30.89% |
| Only Growing Segment | Digital operations – up 30.04% |
| WAVES OTT Spend FY25 | ₹258.50 crore (up from ₹1.85 crore in FY24) |
| Source | Prasar Bharati Annual Report 2024-25 |
Background
Prasar Bharati is India’s public service broadcaster, running Doordarshan (DD) and Akashvani (All India Radio) under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. It earns revenue mainly through DD FreeDish subscriptions charged to channel partners, commercial advertising on Doordarshan and Akashvani, and — more recently — its digital push through the WAVES OTT platform, which launched in November 2024 at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
Every year, Prasar Bharati’s annual report gives a detailed look at how each of these revenue streams performed. FY25 is the first full financial year to include WAVES OTT spending, which makes this year’s report especially revealing for employees and industry watchers tracking the broadcaster’s digital transition.
Where the Revenue Fell
Prasar Bharati’s revenue decline in FY25 was not evenly spread. Some segments held up reasonably well, while others fell sharply.
- DD FreeDish (DTH): Remained the single largest contributor at ₹1,060.71 crore, down just 1.54% from ₹1,077.27 crore in FY24. The platform continues to anchor Prasar Bharati’s finances, reaching around 4.9 crore (49 million) households and carrying 381 TV channels plus 48 radio channels.
- Doordarshan commercial revenue: Fell the hardest — down 30.89% to ₹256.74 crore from ₹371.48 crore in FY24. This revenue comes from agencies, clients, producers, and sports event revenue-sharing.
- Akashvani commercial revenue: Declined 14.47% to ₹222.73 crore from ₹260.43 crore.
- PB Resources: Internal resource generation dipped 3.28% to ₹100.27 crore from ₹103.66 crore.
- Digital operations: The one bright spot — revenue rose 30.04% to ₹2.90 crore from ₹2.23 crore, driven partly by archival content licensing and YouTube.
Broken down by period, Prasar Bharati earned ₹1,453.02 crore between April 2024 and February 2025, against ₹1,630.41 crore in the same 11-month window of FY24. March 2025 brought a small late-year lift, with revenue of ₹190.33 crore versus ₹184.67 crore in March 2024 — but not enough to offset the year’s overall slide.
WAVES OTT Spending – The Big Number in FY25
While revenue was falling on the traditional broadcasting side, Prasar Bharati’s spending on its OTT ambitions shot up dramatically. The annual accounts list ₹258.50 crore under the “New Platform (OTT)” head in Schedule 21 — a jump of ₹256.65 crore over the ₹1.85 crore spent in FY24.
The accounts don’t give a detailed split of this spend across technology infrastructure, platform development, content, marketing, or distribution, so employees and the public don’t yet get a full picture of exactly where the money went. Other related spending disclosed for FY25 includes:
| Expense Head | Amount (FY25) |
|---|---|
| Content creation | ₹15.87 crore |
| Commissioning of programmes and software | ₹20.15 crore |
| Royalty payments | ₹36.49 crore |
| Payments to UNI, PTI and other news agencies | ₹30.65 crore |
| Payments to artists and professionals | ₹43.57 crore |
| Sports events | ₹7.36 crore |
Despite this scale of investment, WAVES OTT has not yet translated into meaningful revenue. The platform currently lacks an in-app payment gateway, which analysts point to as a key reason its earnings remain limited even as its user base grows.
Impact on Prasar Bharati Employees
For Prasar Bharati’s workforce — spread across Doordarshan Kendras, Akashvani stations, and the newer digital teams — this report carries a few practical signals worth watching:
- Doordarshan’s revenue slide could put pressure on commercial and marketing teams to bring in more advertisers, especially around sports and major events, where Doordarshan still holds revenue-sharing rights.
- Heavy WAVES OTT investment suggests the organisation is prioritising digital hiring and resource allocation, which may open new roles in content, technology and platform operations even as legacy broadcast revenue softens.
- Rising compliance workload — the report notes over 5,341 audit paras currently being tracked by Prasar Bharati’s Audit Para Monitoring System, raised by the Comptroller and Auditor General and internal auditors. This kind of backlog often means additional documentation and reporting work for finance and administrative staff.
- DD FreeDish’s continued stability is good news for Doordarshan-linked staff, since it remains by far the largest and steadiest revenue source, even as other verticals dip.
Employees should treat this as institutional financial context rather than a signal of any confirmed policy change — no specific staffing or restructuring decision has been announced alongside this report. [Check official notification] for any organisational updates that may follow.
Why This Matters
Prasar Bharati’s FY25 numbers highlight a broadcaster in transition. Its legacy revenue engines — Doordarshan advertising and Akashvani commercial time — are shrinking, partly due to wider pressure on traditional TV and radio advertising as audiences move to digital and OTT platforms. Meanwhile, the organisation is betting big on WAVES OTT to build a digital-era revenue stream, but that bet hasn’t paid off financially yet: WAVES generated a fraction of what was spent on it, and the platform still doesn’t have a working payment system.
This is a familiar pattern in India’s broader media shift — traditional broadcasters investing heavily in OTT before those platforms turn profitable. For a public broadcaster funded partly through government support, the scale of the WAVES investment (₹258.50 crore in a single year) will likely draw scrutiny from Parliament and auditors in the year ahead.
What’s Coming Next?
Prasar Bharati’s leadership has signalled plans to keep expanding WAVES OTT, including features like ONDC-based e-commerce integration, gaming, and education content, positioning it as a “Digital Super App.” Whether a payment gateway gets added — which could unlock actual subscription revenue — is something to watch in FY26. The broadcaster is also expected to continue monetising its archival content across YouTube and social media, the one digital segment already showing growth. [To be announced] on any formal restructuring of WAVES spending or a fresh revenue target for FY26.
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Important Links
| What | Link |
|---|---|
| Prasar Bharati Annual Report 2024-25 | prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Prasar Bharati Official Website | prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Ministry of Information & Broadcasting | mib.gov.in |
| Related Post on This Site | WAVES OTT – Prasar Bharati 2026 |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What was Prasar Bharati’s total revenue in FY25?
Prasar Bharati’s total revenue stood at ₹1,643.35 crore in FY2024-25, down 9.46% from ₹1,815.07 crore in FY2023-24, according to its Annual Report.
2. Why did Doordarshan’s revenue fall so much?
Doordarshan’s commercial revenue fell 30.89% to ₹256.74 crore in FY25, largely due to weaker advertising and revenue-sharing collections from agencies, clients and sports events, compared to ₹371.48 crore in FY24.
3. How much did Prasar Bharati spend on WAVES OTT in FY25?
Prasar Bharati spent ₹258.50 crore on WAVES OTT in FY25, a sharp jump from just ₹1.85 crore in FY24, as recorded under the “New Platform (OTT)” head in its annual accounts.
4. Which segment of Prasar Bharati’s revenue grew in FY25?
Digital operations was the only segment to grow, rising 30.04% to ₹2.90 crore in FY25 from ₹2.23 crore in FY24.
5. Does WAVES OTT charge users a subscription fee?
As of FY25, WAVES OTT does not have a working in-app payment gateway, which is seen as a key reason its revenue remains low despite the platform’s scale.
6. How does this report affect Prasar Bharati employees?
No staffing changes have been announced alongside this report. However, falling Doordarshan and Akashvani revenue, combined with heavy WAVES OTT investment, suggests continued focus on digital hiring and revenue generation. [Check official notification] for updates.
7. Where can I read the full Prasar Bharati Annual Report 2024-25?
The full report should be checked on Prasar Bharati’s official website or through Ministry of Information & Broadcasting channels. [Check official site] for the direct download link.
Final Word
Prasar Bharati’s FY25 numbers paint a picture of a public broadcaster at a crossroads — traditional revenue from Doordarshan and Akashvani is under real pressure, while a large, unproven bet on WAVES OTT is only just getting started. DD FreeDish remains the steady backbone keeping overall revenue from falling further, but the ₹258.50 crore poured into WAVES OTT against just ₹2.90 crore in digital revenue shows how early-stage this digital transition still is. For employees and industry watchers alike, FY26 will be the year to see whether that OTT investment starts converting into real returns. Bookmark Govtserviceinfo.com for the latest updates on Prasar Bharati, Doordarshan, and WAVES OTT as new details emerge.
Disclaimer: This article is based on figures published in Prasar Bharati’s Annual Report 2024-25 and reported by multiple media outlets. GovtServiceInfo.com is not affiliated with Prasar Bharati and does not have access to internal financial data beyond what has been officially published. Please refer to the official Prasar Bharati Annual Report or the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting for verified figures before citing or acting on this information.
