Indian Public Broadcaster Prasar Bharati Approves GeoBroadcast Solutions' Application to Test MaxxCasting™ and ZoneCasting™ on Its Radio Stations
Goal is to showcase the ability to Achieve Diversity and Inclusion through the Airwaves to Reach Ethnic Communities in Bengaluru and Delhi.
CHICAGO, April 17, 2023 – Prasar Bharati, India’s public broadcaster has allowed GeoBroadcast Solutions to test its MaxxCasting™ and ZoneCasting™ systems on the largest radio network of the world, All India Radio, beginning with its radio stations in Delhi and Bengaluru. Scheduled for mobilization beginning in mid-April, NBH Delhi (FM Gold 106.4 Mhz 20 KW) and Bengaluru (Rainbow 101.3 Mhz or VBS 102.9) reach a combined listenership of 23 million in the world’s largest democracy. Approval came in on April 5th after series of meetings and presentation spanning nearly 36 months.
Responding to the government’s goal to better serve India’s diverse population through the use of new technologies, Prasar Bharati is encouraging India’s broadcasters to more effectively reach minority groups and multi-language speaking residents. The technology will not only reach underserved communities through an improved broadcast signal but will also provide zoned customized content to various dialect and ethnic groups.
"Team All India Radio recognizes the potential of the proposal of GBS to test this innovative technology. With this the broadcast stations will be able to reach the individual cultural communities in India through a single frequency,” said Sunil Srivastava, Additional Director General from Prasar Bharati. Srivastava further added “Prasar Bharati’s radio tower infrastructure will provide the engineers with the necessary foundation to design and implement a network of zones that is expected to reach unique populations through a single broadcast platform.”
GeoBroadcast was introduced to Prasar Bharati through Dev Banad Viswanath a NY-based attorney with U.S. and Indian ties to the broadcast community.
“Nothing pleases me more than to bring to my native country the latest advances in radio industry,” said Viswanath. “ZoneCasting will be an incredibly valuable asset for the National Broadcast community in India and will help diversify the reach of broadcasters’ programming.”
In India radio is a valued medium with potential for robust revenue growth, providing news and entertainment to the vast population.
“It is an honor to be awarded the opportunity to apply our ZoneCasting technology in India, which will soon be the most populous country in the world,” said Paul Littleton, chief technology officer at GeoBroadcast Solutions. “It was developed precisely to segment sections of the broadcast signal and reach unique communities and populations. This deployment will help Prasar Bharati continue reaching its listeners vast while, additionally, customizing the content to such a varied audience.”
The installation should be completed and ready for trial by the end of the summer.
MaxxCasting is a combination of technologies with patented designs that enable FM broadcasters to enhance their signals with the deployment of a strategically located cluster of low to the ground, highly directionalized synchronized booster sites. MaxxCasting allows broadcasters to deliver robust, easy to receive signals that reach a broader portion of their service area and supports the accurate decoding of Nielsen PPM watermark to aid in accurate audience measurement. A ZoneCasting “zone” is simply a collection of MaxxCasting cell sites broadcasting localized content.
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About GeoBroadcast Solutions LLC
GeoBroadcast Solutions was formed in 2011 to develop the ZoneCasting™ geo-targeting platform. This platform has been successfully tested under special FCC authorization. Geo-targeted separation of the main channel audio of an FM radio station to its listeners allows the ability to split an FM signal into local “zones.” Out of this development effort came MaxxCasting™, which increases signal quality, PPM watermark decoding, and allows geographic targeting and fencing of radio screen advertising. It is successfully deployed and operational in many markets and growing rapidly. Additional information is available at geobroadcastsolutions.com.
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