NEW DELHI: After dilly-dallying for several months on the ethics of the move, the pubcaster Doordarshan has invited eligible producers to create and market fresh content on the channel for a fixed tenure extending up to three years.
Encouraged by its success in e-auction slots in FM Radio Phase III, Prasar Bharati has highlighted some slots in DD prime time that will be put up for e-auction to attract high quality content on its National and Regional Channels.
The policy encourages private entrepreneurs to produce cutting edge general entertainment programming with a commitment for providing wholesome family enjoyment.
The technical and financial criteria for the new policy will be notified separately.
The Sale of slots to be auctioned will be through e-auction mode.
The roll out of the Slot Sale Policy will commence with DD’s flagship channel ‘DD National’ on its prime time slots will then be progressively extended to other slots and channels.
The base price for DD National Prime Time is being kept reasonable keeping in view the content environment and market economics to attract bidders.
In the draft notification for Sale of Slots on Prime Time of DD National (to be separately notified), the Minimum Floor Price for DD National Prime Time is proposed to be Rs Two lakhs for each 30 minute time slot between 7-11 PM (excluding Feature Film Slots).
The Slot price increase is to be based on half yearly reviews through a transparent mechanism linked to the ratings achieved in the slot.
The slots available for bidding would be for a sequence of slots for daily strips on weekdays/weekends.
The aim is to follow a transparent bidding process so that opportunities are made available to all.
Give more Free Commercial Time (FCT) to the Bidder or slot holder. For Sale of Slots on Prime Time of DD National, the Free Commercial Time (FCT) will be enhanced from the existing 2.5 minutes to 4.0 minutes for every 30 minute slot.
This will ensure that there is no competition between DD and the bidder/slot holder in vying for the same clients and advertisements. Successful Bidders would be free to procure advertisements from all clients within their entitlement of FCT with the exception of government and PSU (Public Sector Undertaking) clients.
Bids may be invited for any/various combinations of/all slots as detailed below:
i) For a single stand alone slot
ii) For longer time durations comprising of more than one slot for catering to the needs of telecasting special events, feature films etc.
iii) For a single slot on weekly basis
iv) For a sequence of slots in the same time band running over certain number of days in a week (e.g. Monday-Thursday; Monday-Friday; Saturday-Sunday, etc.)
The decision regarding inviting bids in respect of slots will be at the sole discretion of Doordarshan after taking into account its programme requirements for any channel or time band.
The website www.ddindia.gov.in gives detailed information for applicants.
