India’s Public Broadcaster Prasar Bharati Unveils Waves Streaming Platform at Goa Festival

variety.com:

Naman Ramachandran Prasar Bharati, India’s public broadcasting heavyweight, rolled out its streaming platform Waves at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, marking the state broadcaster’s entry into the country’s competitive streaming space.

The platform launches with a slate spanning 12+ languages and 10+ genres, featuring everything from video-on-demand content to free gaming, radio streaming, and 65 live channels.

In a bid to differentiate itself from existing streamers, Waves also integrates e-commerce capabilities through a partnership with ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce). “It is indeed a momentous occasion for the Indian entertainment industry with the launch of Waves OTT,” said Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant at the launch event. “I am very happy to see the diverse range of content on the platform, including a host of films and content across languages including Konkani.” In India and many Asian countries, streaming is also referred to by the acronym OTT (Over The Top).

The service’s initial content slate features fantasy action title “Monkey King the Hero is Back,” national award winner “Fouja,” and Vipul Shah’s thriller series “Bhed Bharam.” The lineup also includes “Fauji 2.0,” a modern take on the 1980s Shah Rukh Khan starrer, featuring Gauhar Khan and directed by Sandeep Singh.