Govt frees up Doordarshan, AIR, PIB content for creators amid ANI copyright dispute

In a development following the copyright dispute between news agency Asian News International (ANI) and several YouTube creators, India’s leading public broadcasters and government media agencies have announced free or low-cost access to their extensive archives.

Agencies including Prasar Bharati, Akashvani (All India Radio), Doordarshan National, and the Press Information Bureau (PIB) have made their content available for public use across social media platforms, including YouTube.

Earlier, the Press Trust of India (PTI) had initiated a similar effort by offering affordable access to its video content for use on YouTube and other platforms.

Akashvani, in a recent post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), announced that creators can access a range of content—shorts, explainers, and documentaries—spanning 50 categories and 15 languages, free of charge. Prasar Bharati emphasised the availability of “rare visuals, historic clips, and reliable data,” stating that the material is free for creators and copyright-cleared for public use. This message was echoed and shared by the PIB.

Doordarshan National also encouraged content creators to use its material, emphasising that Prasar Bharati offers a platform for “free 24/7 easily accessible news clips, audio materials, written stories and visuals,” which are “fully copyright-free and authorised for use.” The broadcaster’s digital platform, PBShabd, was promoted as a dependable and unrestricted source for media professionals and independent creators.

The initiative comes amid an ongoing controversy involving ANI and multiple YouTubers. Prominent content creator Mohak Mangal recently accused ANI of misusing YouTube’s copyright strike mechanism after short clips—lasting 9 and 11 seconds—from ANI footage were used in his videos on the Kolkata rape case and ‘Operation Sindoor’. Mangal claimed his channel received copyright strikes and alleged that ANI demanded a licensing fee or penalty to lift the strikes.

Following the incident, other creators, including Rajat Pawar, shared similar experiences. Pawar alleged that ANI issued strikes on his content and subsequently offered to remove them in exchange for a licensing agreement costing Rs 18 lakh annually or a penalty payment, threatening channel termination otherwise. The matter escalated to the Delhi High Court, where ANI filed a defamation suit against Mangal. On Thursday, the court directed Mangal to remove specific portions of his video that ANI claimed were defamatory, accusing the creator of spreading misinformation to damage the agency’s reputation.