Navneet Sehgal, chairman, Prasar Bharati, who is in Chandigarh to give a push to Waves, says the OTT platform aims to bring families closer

Prasar Bharati’s ambitious Waves OTT is on air! With one lakh downloads on Day 1, Waves, which was launched on November 20 at the International Film Festival of India, Goa (IFFI), holds a treasure trove with iconic Doordarshan shows like Fauji, Buniyaad, Hum Log, Flop Show, along with new releases in 13 languages. At the helm of things is Navneet Sehgal, chairman, Prasar Bharati, who was in Chandigarh on Friday. “As part of our commitment towards healthy family entertainment and providing a window for India’s rich and vast cultural landscape, we are bringinga one-stop information hub to the millions of Indian homes. Waves is one of the only OTT networks that is your window to not only the world of clean family entertainment, but also shopping, games and news. It is a bonanza for all age-groups from diverse backgrounds,” he says.

With over 20 years of media experience, Sehgal is on a mission to put his knowledge and experience to make the national broadcaster competitive and efficient. Motivating the staff at Doordarshan office in Sector 37, he is a on a trip across regional centres in the country to take stock of the ground reality. Sehgal, who did his CA from Chandigarh, is happy to be back in the city. He is upbeat about the new content making it to Waves. All the archival shows, films and programmes on classical arts will get a platform now along with new content. “We got a great response at IFFI. Big names from the entertainment industry, from Prakash Jha to Akshay Kumar, big production houses, like Ekta Kapoor’s to Jackky Bhagnani’s, have shown interest and are going to be roped-in for Waves,” he beams.

As the National Broadcaster, Prasar Bharati is committed to providing clean entertainment. With the onset of OTT, there has been a divide in the family with different members choosing their own time and room to watch films or shows. Sehgal adds, “People are turning individualistic and preferring to consume entertainment in their own time and space. On the other hand, there hasn’t been clean content either. We take our job seriously — to provide entertainment that will bring families back together to enjoy like the old times.”

Not just shows and films, Waves also offers gaming and plethora of options to watch, listen, read, play and shop in a curated environment. Waves has opened its portal to student grad films, and film and media colleges like Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Annapurna, and Asian Academy of Film and Television (AAFT) have partnered with Prasar Bharati for Waves.

So far offering content in 13 languages, including Punjabi, the platform hopes spread good vibes. Prabhu Shriram Lalla Aarti live from Ayodhya and the monthly Mann Ki Baat by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the upcoming US Premier League Cricket Tournament will all stream live on Waves!

The platform has also launched a Cyber Security awareness campaign with daily video messages in partnership with CDAC, MeitY. This campaign is backed by programmes such as Cyber Crime ki Duniya (a fictionalised series) and Cyber Alert (by DD News features).

As many as 45 channels of news, fantasy action super-hero film Monkey King: The Hero is Back, National Award-winning film Fouja, Vipul Shah’s thriller show Bhed Bharam, Kailash Kher’s music reality show Bharat Ka Amrit Kalash, women-centric shows, alongwith the sepeeches from our leaders through freedom struggle, will be part of Waves as well.

Waves also carries a selection of popular animation programmes, including Doggy Adventure, Chota Bheem, Tenaliram, Akbar Birbal, and games such as Krishna Jump, Fruit Chef, Ram the Yodha and Cricket Premier League tournament.

In an effort to connect with the youngsters, old shows are being digitally re-mastered. Simply to be downloaded on the phone, one can connect the services to the smart TV and it’s also free! “Please download Waves once. Everyone from any background to any age group is bound to find something interesting, engaging and enriching,” said Sehgal.