DD India
Indian state-owned international television news channel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DD India, is an Indian state-owned international English language news and current affairs channel from India.[1] The service is also aimed at the overseas market, similar to WION, CNN International, BBC News, DW, VOA, France24, NHK World-Japan, Arirang, CNA, RT and RTR-Planeta and broadcasts through satellite and cable operators throughout the world as well as online and through its mobile app. It became a full-fledged English news and current affairs channel in January 2019, followed by a decision of the parent Prasar Bharati's board.[2] The total budget provided by the government to this channel is ₹2,640 crore (US$270 million).[3]
 | |
| Type | Television Channel |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Broadcast area |
|
| Network | Doordarshan |
| Headquarters | New Delhi, India |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to 576i for the SDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Prasar Bharati, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting |
| Sister channels | See list of Doordarshan owned channels |
| History | |
| Launched |
|
| Former names | DD International DD World |
| Links | |
| Website | Official Website |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| YouTube | Available on YouTube |
| Waves | Watch Live |
| KBS+ | Watch Live |
DD India, a public service television news channel, has been the second most-watched English news channel in India since 2017 after Republic TV. It became the most-watched channel in February 2019, according to the Indian newspaper Live Mint.[4] In the first quarter of 2019, DD India and Republic TV have alternated for the most-watched channel position in the English channel news weekly ratings as measured by BARC India group.[5] Prasar Bharati launched the HD simulcast for DD India on 3 October 2020, on its free-to-air DTH service, DD Free Dish.[6]
History
DD India was launched on 14 March 1995 as DD International.[7] It was rebranded as DD World in 2000 and again in 2002 as DD India. It is owned and operated by Doordarshan, India's state-owned television network. The international broadcaster featured some original programming, such as dramas, comedy series, talk shows, documentaries, and re-runs of popular TV shows from other Indian television channels. In addition, it also aired some TV shows in other Indian languages, such as Urdu, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu etc.[citation needed]
In the United States, the channel was launched on 26 July 2007, and is available on DirecTV.[8]
On 1 January 2019, it was relaunched as an English-language news channel, as Doordashan turned its already-dedicated news channel, DD News, into a Hindi-language-only service, while the international feed of DD National was launched.[9]
In September 2023, DD India was rebranded in time for the G20 Summit (hosted by India at the time).[citation needed]
