Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union

Why is in news? Prasar Bharati hosting ABU General Assembly 2022 in New Delhi

Prasar Bharati, India’s Public Service Broadcaster, is hosting the 59th Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) General Assembly 2022.

The conference began in New Delhi on 25th of November and will continue till 30th of this month.

The theme of this year’s assembly is Serving the People: Media’s Role in Times of Crisis.

The event coincides with Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to mark the 75th year of the India’s Independence

The Conference is first of its kind in the Broadcasting sector, which is being held after Covid pandemic, in the physical form.

It is expected to strengthen relations with Foreign Broadcasters, particularly from ASEAN countries, thus favoring the Act East Policy of the Government.

ABU's greatest strength lies in its diverse membership.

Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union:

The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU or APBU), formed in 1964, is a non-profit, professional association of broadcasting organisations.

It currently has over 287 members in 57 countries and regions, reaching a potential audience of about 3 billion people.

The ABU's role is to help the development of broadcasting in the Asia-Pacific region and to promote the collective interests of its members.

The ABU covers an area stretching from Turkey in the west to Samoa in the east, and from Mongolia in the north to New Zealand in the south.

Its secretariat is located in Angkasapuri, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

One of the ABU's activities is Asiavision, a daily exchange of news feeds by satellite among television stations in 20 countries in Asia.

The ABU also negotiates coverage rights to major sports events for its members collectively, and carries out a wide range of activities in the programme and technical areas.

The ABU provides a forum for promoting the collective interests of television and radio broadcasters, and encourages regional and international co-operation between broadcasters.

The ABU works closely with the regional broadcasting, in other parts of the world on matters of common concern, and with many other international organisations, to exchange information on the latest developments in broadcasting, undertake activities to improve the skills and technologies of its members, and encourage harmonisation of operating and technical broadcasting standards and systems in the region.

The ABU is funded primarily by annual subscriptions from members.

ABU Engineering Excellence Awards:

ABU Engineering Industry Excellence Award and ABU Broadcast Engineering Excellence Award are presented annually to broadcast personalities who have made significant contributions respectively to their organisations and to the industry as a whole.

The Broadcast Engineering Excellence Award is being sponsored by Broadcast and Professional Pacific Asia Company (BPPA).

Prasar Bharati:

Prasar Bharati is India's state-owned public broadcaster, headquartered in New Delhi.

It is a statutory autonomous body set up by an Act of Parliament.

It comprises the Doordarshan Television Network and Akashvani All India Radio, which were earlier media units of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The Parliament of India passed the Prasar Bharati Act to grant this autonomy in 1990, but it was not enacted until 15 September 1997.