D2M Broadcasting set to kill YouTube’s monopoly and data-driven dominance

India’s upcoming Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) broadcasting revolution is shaping up to be the biggest disruption in the global video ecosystem since YouTube’s rise two decades ago. By transmitting high-quality video directly to mobile phones without internet connectivity, D2M threatens to pull the rug from under Big Tech’s data-driven video monopoly — a shift that could redefine who controls content delivery and monetization in the world’s largest mobile market.

With the commercial rollout expected by late 2026, India is positioning itself at the vanguard of a global technological shift. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has appointed Ernst & Young (EY) as the project management consultant to craft a national D2M roadmap — one that balances commercial viability with public service obligations. The project, spearheaded by Prasar Bharati in collaboration with IIT Kanpur and Saankhya Labs (now part of Tejas Networks), has already entered advanced trials across 19 cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru.

“Subject to regulatory clearances, we expect rollout by mid-year. By late next year, we should see commercial D2M services,” said Parag Naik, EVP of Tata Group's Tejas Networks and CEO of erstwhile Saankhya Labs. “This technology can bridge the digital divide and deliver multimedia content seamlessly — without relying on data networks.”

National Interest and Digital Sovereignty

The D2M rollout isn’t just a commercial play — it’s also being framed as a strategic push for digital sovereignty. Former Prasar Bharati CEO and Co-Founder of DeepTech, Bharat Foundation (AI4India.org) Shashi Shekhar Vempati argues that India’s dependence on global platforms poses systemic risks to both democracy and the media economy.

“As the world’s largest democracy with one of the highest mobile penetrations, India is particularly vulnerable to the borderless internet,” Vempati said. “Big Tech platforms and opaque algorithms have repeatedly undermined Indian democracy with fear-mongering and false narratives. It’s in the national interest to reduce dependency on these platforms.”

He adds that D2M can help “derisk and diversify” digital revenues for the domestic news industry, which currently relies heavily on traffic driven — and throttled — by Silicon Valley algorithms.

A New Broadcast-Internet Convergence

Technologists see D2M as more than an alternative — they see it as the convergence point between broadcast and broadband. By making broadcasting measurable like OTT streaming, and streaming as reliable as broadcast, D2M could erase the traditional divide between linear TV and internet video.

“It can disrupt broadcast discovery, expand endpoints beyond TVs to any consumer device, and make streaming buffer-free with guaranteed quality,” Vempati explained. “This convergence will unshackle both traditional broadcasting and internet streaming.”

Intel and Tejas Networks have already demonstrated D2M integration in laptops, showing how educational content can be streamed seamlessly without Wi-Fi or data. Meanwhile, Prasar Bharati’s DD FreeDish model — which auctions channel slots to broadcasters — could serve as a commercial template for D2M monetization.

Advertising experts say D2M could democratize video distribution for smaller content creators and regional broadcasters, who have struggled to compete with YouTube’s algorithmic gatekeeping.

Shashi Sinha, Executive Chairman of IPG Mediabrands India and former BARC Chairman, said, “D2M is a landmark development for India — a powerful technology that enables mobile users to access video content without using the internet. It’s a massive opportunity, especially for rural and feature-phone users who currently lack reliable data access. They will be the first to benefit.”

He added, “The ecosystem’s success will depend on how aggregation is managed. Since millions of creators will generate content, there needs to be a central aggregator, and Prasar Bharati could play that role by housing and curating streams for easy consumer access.”

Drawing an analogy with fintech, Sinha said, “Just as UPI revolutionized payments without displacing credit cards, D2M could coexist with OTT platforms. Mass audiences may adopt it first, while premium users continue on existing digital services. Over time, both will find their balance.”

Big Tech’s Streaming Fortress Faces Its Challenger

For years, YouTube has dominated India’s video economy, commanding both ad dollars and viewer attention through its global infrastructure. But as D2M shifts video distribution off the internet, that control begins to erode.

“YouTube’s dominance was never about content — it was about control of delivery. D2M breaks that monopoly,” said Vishal Khanna, Founder of Media Pro Research. “Once delivery becomes public airwaves, YouTube becomes just another channel — not the internet itself.”

Khanna’s prognosis for Big Tech is stark: “YouTube won’t die in a crash — it’ll fade in silence, one broadcast signal at a time. When India starts streaming without data, YouTube’s empire of bandwidth begins to collapse.”

At its core, D2M combines the reach of traditional broadcasting with the personalization of digital streaming. It allows users to receive live video, news, and even educational content directly on mobile devices, bypassing cellular data networks altogether. For a country where data costs and patchy connectivity continue to restrict video access in rural belts, the implications are seismic.

Beyond accessibility, the real disruption lies in who controls video distribution. Unlike YouTube or Meta’s platforms, where content reach is algorithmically throttled, D2M offers broadcasters a direct pipeline to consumers. It eliminates intermediaries — and with them, the ad revenue splits, opaque visibility algorithms, and geopolitical dependence that have long shaped India’s digital ecosystem.

“D2M offers direct-to-consumer access without intermediaries like YouTube, which take a large revenue share and influence what content gets seen,” Naik said. “It empowers Indian broadcasters to reach audiences directly — geopolitically and commercially.”

With its trials underway and policy framework taking shape, D2M represents more than a technological milestone — it’s a reclamation of digital distribution from private global networks to public airwaves.

If executed at scale, the initiative could alter the global balance of power in video streaming — positioning India not just as a user of global tech, but as an exporter of next-generation broadcast technology. For Big Tech, especially YouTube, this may well be the beginning of the end of unchallenged dominance in the video universe.