
India’s national public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has an audience that can be described as polyglot. In that sense radio broadcasting’s traditional approach — one broadcast fits all — is not the best fit. Fortunately, technologies are arising to offer solutions.
GeoBroadcast Solutions and its Indian partner Geo Global Banad Pvt. Ltd. are working with the public broadcaster to test a new transmission approach, ZoneCasting.
According to GeoBroadcast, “ZoneCasting technology enables the targeted delivery of content to specific geographic zones, optimizing the listener experience.” The tests will take place in the capital city New Delhi and in Bangalore, in southern India.
Prasar Bharati Deputy Director General Aditya Chaturved said, “In a country as culturally diverse as India, catering to the multitude of dialects, population segments, and language preferences is a monumental task.” He sees ZoneCasting as a positive direction, “As we delve into these cutting-edge technologies, we envision a future where we can streamline operations, serving the unique needs of all our audiences from one centralized hub. Though our testing has just begun, the technology is already demonstrating its significance in the context of our rich Indian culture.”
Geo Global Banad Pvt. Ltd. Managing Director Dev Darshan Banad Viswanath said, “We’re looking forward to making substantial progress in the coming months, and we believe it will be a game-changer for India’s broadcasting landscape.”
Also being tested is GeoBroadcast’s MaxxCasting broadcast technology for countering geographic difficulties.