Prasar Bharati received two honours at the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Prizes 2026, held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from October 30 to November 3.
Two recognitions for Prasar Bharati
Akashvani Bengaluru received the Audio Public Service Announcement Special Commendation for its programme Beyond the Call; Jyoti Das accepted the recognition. Nongmaithem Nandakumar Singh, Director of Engineering at Akashvani Imphal, won the ABU Broadcast Engineering Excellence Award 2026. The award recognised his contributions to broadcast technology and innovation, including indigenous solutions DDPlayout and DDSlowMo. It was presented to Singh through Mihir Jha, an official from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
ABU General Assembly and WAVES OTT
The prizes were part of the 63rd ABU General Assembly and Associated Meetings, held under the theme “Media for Peace and Humanity: Truth, Trust, and Transformation”. Prasar Bharati Member (Finance) Rajeev Roy also showcased WAVES OTT, the public broadcaster’s digital streaming platform. By November 3, it had recorded more than 15 million registered users and 19 million downloads across over 130 countries.
Important Facts for Exams
- Programme competition: The ABU Prizes are an annual competition for radio and television programmes.
- Engineering award remit: The ABU’s engineering awards distinguish contributions to an individual’s organisation from contributions to the broadcasting industry as a whole.
- Statutory establishment: Prasar Bharati was established under the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act, 1990, which came into force in 1997.
- ABU institutional status: Founded in 1964, the ABU is a non-profit, non-governmental association of broadcasting organisations headquartered in Kuala Lumpur.
Exam Summary
Prasar Bharati secured two honours at ABU Prizes 2026 in Colombo, Sri Lanka (October 30–November 3): Akashvani Bengaluru received Audio Public Service Announcement Special Commendation for Beyond the Call, and Akashvani Imphal engineer Nongmaithem Nandakumar Singh won Broadcast Engineering Excellence for DDPlayout and DDSlowMo. At the 63rd ABU General Assembly, WAVES OTT reported 15 million registered users and 19 million downloads in 130+ countries. ABU, founded 1964, is headquartered Kuala Lumpur.
