It was a first for the state owned broadcaster Doordarshan. After monetising the International Film Festival of India for the first time, Doordarshan has earned Rs 6 crore. The 48th IFFI started on November 21 and was organised by the National Film Development Corporation. With a viewership of 40 million across both television and digital platforms, Doordarshan earned Rs 6 crore, a report in the livemint stated.
After Smriti Irani took over as the Information and Broadcasting Minster, it was decided that IFFI would be monetised. Prior to this Doordarshan was only covering the opening and closing ceremonies of the festival. Never before has DD covered the event on such a large scale. It was an initiative taken by the minister herself to make it a grand affair, officials also said. Sources tell OneIndia that the impact of of Smriti Irani's dynamic leadership on IFFI this year was visible in the high profile the event acquired with participation of Bollywood legends. This impact extended to the Television coverage of IFFI as well. It was the Minister's idea that Doordarshan's coverage of IFFI should go beyond merely covering the opening and closing ceremonies. It was at her insistence Doordarshan planned special programming for IFFI spanning a duration of 14 days, the source also added. There was plenty of emphasis on the digital coverage as well this time. With high definition and live simulcast on YouTube, Twitter via Periscope and Facebook Live, the event was a grand success.
The main sponsors of the event were the Life Insurance Corporation, Film Bandhu, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Silkmark Organisation of India and the Indian Oil owned Servo.