Future of over 154 shows submitted to Doordarshan bleak

Even as Prasar Bharati is trying to push the slot sale policy for content generation of Doordarshan, the future of 154 programmes already submitted to the national channel for evaluation seems bleak. Several producers have petitioned the board for addressing the status of these programmes before the board tries to push the policy again in its next week’s meet.

Sources said the evaluation of these programmes — under the earlier commissioning mode — is stuck due to the lack of clarity.

The board is usuccessfully trying to sell off its prime time slots to private production houses over the past five months and two rounds of application process. While some production houses had shown interest in the slot sale policy, none of them were found to be eligible to participate in the e-auction under the eligibility criteria as prescribed in the request for proposal (RFP).

Despite the failures, the Prasar Bharati has not taken a decision on the status of these programmes submitted to it under the Self-Financed Commissioned scheme.

Sources said the producers who have submitted their programmes have claimed that they have invested huge sums of money in making serials under the SFC scheme, which are being scrapped by the national broadcaster without even proper evaluation.

Several producers and production companies, which submitted their proposals, have petitioned the Prasar Bharati and Doordarshan for proper evaluation of their programmes. The producers are now planning to approach the Delhi high court next week to seek the court’s directives on issue.

“All we ask is that we be evaluated before the policy is done away,” a producer said.