Australia, India to share TV content

New Delhi: The agreement between Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and India`s public broadcaster Prasar Bharati will help the signatories share content by utilising Doordarshan and ABC`s extensive networks, Australia`s Minister for Arts and Regional Development Simon Crean said here Thursday.

The deal was signed by Prasar Bharati Chief Executive Officer Jawhar Sircar and Crean as part of the bilateral initiative during Oz Fest, a four-month showcase of Australian culture in India. The ABC-Prasar Bharati deal promotes co-production, programming exchange, supply of English language learning programmes by ABC to Doordarshan and possible co-production and sharing of digital content. "The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Prasar Bharati will help build a much stronger people-to-people and media partnerships between the two countries," Crean said. One of the most important goals for the Australia-India relationship was to understand each other better, he said. "This MoU will advance Australia in the Asian Century White Paper`s commitment to build a stronger, deeper and broader cultural links between Australia and India; including through collaborations between arts, cultural and media organisations," he said. The agreement will also build on the Oz Fest, the biggest Australian cultural festival in India, to make it a sustainable exchange programme, he said. Crean also said that he was delighted that Doordarshan had supported Oz Fest by filming and broadcasting its opening concert featuring indigenous artists. The Australian government is working with 24 government, business, institutional and production partners to present Oz Fest over 100 events in 18 locations across India between October and February. IANS