Expression of Interest issued for setting up FM radio stations in 234 uncovered towns Official

    Hyderabad, Nov 13 (PTI) Expression of Interest from the interested parties for setting up FM Radio stations in 234 uncovered towns has been called for by the Centre and an auction for them will be held in the coming days, said Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Information and Broadcasting on Wednesday here.
    Addressing a press conference, Jaju also said the Central government has decided to set up an Indian institute of creative technologies in Mumbai aiming at skill development and creating a startup ecosystem for the gaming industry and it will have a centre in Hyderabad as a regional hub.
    "Private FM Radio stations will be set up in 236 (234) small towns like Adilabad. For this, Expression of Interest was called for by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The auction will be held in the coming days. Today, we held a road show also (in Hyderabad)," the official said.
    The Union Cabinet in August approved a proposal to hold the third batch of ascending e-auctions for 730 channels in 234 uncovered cities under Private FM Radio Phase III Policy.
    According to the EoI document, the last date for submitting the application is November 18.
    Jaju further said that the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) would be held in Goa from November 20-28 and requested the Telugu film industry to actively participate in it.
    Jaju, who spoke about WAVES - the World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit - that would be held from February 5 to 9, 2025, said this high-profile event would be the biggest convergence event for the entire media and entertainment industry, an official release said.
    He said India's share in the global media and entertainment industry is only two per cent while there is ample scope to grow at 20 per cent per annum.
    On the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, Jaju said the institute will be set up in PPP model with 52 per cent equity by FICCI and CII and 48 per cent by the Government of India.
    He said India looks at the gaming industry not only as a sunrise industry but also as a booming industry.
    He further said that Prasar Bharathi's OTT platform will be launched at the inaugural event of the International Film Festival of India – (IFFI).
    Jaju said nearly 60 channels that are available on DD Free Dish will be available on that OTT platform. Most of the archival material will be brought to the viewers through this OTT platform, he added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)