Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi highlighted PB-SHABD (Prasar Bharati – Shared Audio-Visuals for Broadcast and Dissemination) at FICCI Frames 2026, calling it a key tool for delivering verified content across the media landscape. First launched in 2024, the platform offers logo-free text, video, photo and audio feeds in multiple languages at zero cost.
Unlike commercial wire services such as Press Trust of India and Reuters, which run on paid subscriptions, PB-SHABD distributes its content free to registered media entities. Dwivedi said it draws on a shared news pool that bridges Akashvani and Doordarshan. Smaller local newsrooms, regional newspapers and independent digital creators can use its factual reporting, raw video and audio bytes without paying. He added that Prasar Bharati prioritises broad, nationwide ground coverage to give a comprehensive picture of events across the country.
Speaking on the panel “Who Can We Trust? Preserving the Sanctity of News in the Age of Digital Disruption,” Dwivedi said a public broadcaster’s main measure of success is whether verified, factual information reaches people, whether through Doordarshan, digital platforms or third-party outlets using its feeds. He also said social media algorithms skew perception by trapping users in recurring interpretations of news, so traditional outlets must move beyond breaking news and turn verified facts into succinct, engaging packages.
Dwivedi also traced how television news has moved from single news readers to dual-anchor setups and digital-first formats. Public newsrooms, he said, must keep adapting and learn from social media creators to present fact-based stories in the visual styles today’s audiences prefer.
