Prasar Bharati invites bids for Waves OTT Project

India's public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, is inviting bids and seeking industry feedback for a Project Management Unit (PMU) to support its digital streaming platform, Waves OTT, launched in November 2024. It aims to position Waves OTT as the nation's most preferred digital platform, setting ambitious targets to surpass 10 million registered users in its first year while maintaining at least 70% monthly active users. Currently, the service has 2.3 million registered users and more than 3.8 million downloads.

The PMU will be responsible for guiding end-to-end operations, including content programming, distribution, marketing, alliances, user growth, analytics and platform intelligence. Key functions will involve evaluating content proposals, curating schedules, developing monetisation strategies through AVOD, SVOD and partnerships, enhancing UI/UX, and monitoring KPIs such as retention, churn and engagement. It will also coordinate with internal teams to ensure governance, reporting and continuity across operations.

Bidders must be registered under Indian law, with an annual turnover between Rs.10 crore and Rs.50 crore, and proven experience in large-scale consulting projects within India's media and entertainment sector, particularly with government bodies. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is accepting proposals until 30 September 2025, with evaluation carried out under the Quality-cum-Cost Based System (QCBS), giving 80% weight to technical expertise and 20% to cost.