Quick answer
Indian broadcasters typically require XDCAM HD422 at 50 Mbps or ProRes 422 HQ in MXF or MOV, 1080i50 or 1080p25, with audio normalised to around -23 LUFS and true peaks below -1 dBTP, titles inside the 90% title-safe area, no black frames beyond the permitted duration, and a complete metadata and caption package.
A programme can be beautifully directed, expertly graded and still be rejected by a broadcaster three days before transmission because its audio measures two LUFS too hot. Delivery is a technical discipline with its own rules, and producers who treat it as an afterthought lose money and credibility on the last day of a project.
This is the checklist we run internally before any master leaves our facility, written so that any producer can apply it.
1. Confirm the specification before you finish, not after
Every broadcaster publishes a delivery specification and they are not identical. Get the current document from the channel at the start of post-production — not the version someone emailed you two years ago — and read the whole thing. Specifications change, particularly around loudness, captions and metadata.
If you are delivering to multiple destinations, build a matrix of their requirements and identify the strictest value in each category. Master to that, and derive the others from it.
2. Video format and codec
The most commonly requested mastering formats for Indian television are XDCAM HD422 at 50 Mbps in an MXF wrapper, or Apple ProRes 422 HQ in a MOV wrapper. Frame rate is usually 25 fps, delivered either as 1080i50 or 1080p25 depending on the channel's chain.
Two points cause repeated failures. First, field order: interlaced delivery must be upper-field-first, and material that has passed through a progressive edit without correct interlacing will judder visibly. Second, scaling: a 4K master downscaled carelessly produces aliasing on fine detail such as text and fabric. Use a proper scaling algorithm and check the result at full resolution, not in a scrubbed timeline.
Where 4K UHD is requested, expect ProRes 422 HQ or 4444, Rec. 709 for SDR and Rec. 2020 with PQ or HLG transfer for HDR. HDR delivery additionally requires the correct static or dynamic metadata, and an SDR version produced by a proper trim pass rather than an automatic conversion.
3. Audio configuration and loudness
Audio causes more rejections than video.
Track layout. The specification will state exactly what sits on each track — commonly a stereo mix on tracks one and two, with music-and-effects stems on three and four. Deliver in the stated order. A file with the right content in the wrong order will be transmitted with the wrong pair selected, and the viewer hears effects without dialogue.
Loudness. Measure integrated loudness across the whole programme to ITU-R BS.1770 and target the channel's figure, typically around -23 LUFS. Keep true peaks below -1 dBTP. Do not use a limiter to hit the number; normalise the mix and, if the loudness range is too wide for broadcast, remix rather than crush.
Phase and mono compatibility. Check the mix in mono. A large proportion of Indian viewing happens on single-speaker televisions and mobile devices, and elements that cancel in mono will disappear entirely for those viewers.
4. Safe areas and on-screen text
Titles, credits, lower thirds and any burnt-in text must sit inside the 90 per cent title-safe area; essential action inside the 93 per cent action-safe area. This is not a legacy concern — plenty of set-top boxes and displays still overscan, and text at the edge of frame is clipped.
Check subtitle and caption positioning too, particularly where it might collide with a channel's own on-screen furniture such as a logo bug or a ticker.
5. Programme structure and timings
Delivery structure is prescribed. A typical requirement is thirty seconds of colour bars with a reference tone, a ten-second clock or slate carrying programme title, duration, episode number and audio layout, five seconds of black, then programme start at a defined timecode — usually 10:00:00:00.
Break positions must match the paperwork exactly, black between parts must be the specified duration, and the tail must carry the required run-out. Total duration must match the delivery documentation to the frame. A duration mismatch of even a few frames will fail automated QC.
6. Black frames, flash and legality
Automated QC checks for extended black within the programme, for freeze frames, and for photosensitive-epilepsy risk. The last one matters particularly for title sequences, archive footage and fast-cut graphics. Test for it with a proper analyser, because the human eye is not a reliable judge.
Video legality is a separate check. RGB gamut violations and luminance excursions above permitted levels are common in aggressively graded material and are flagged automatically. Grade on a calibrated monitor with a legaliser in the chain and check the output rather than the timeline.
7. Captions, subtitles and accessibility
Most channels now require a subtitle or caption file, usually as SRT, STL or TTML depending on their chain. Requirements typically cover reading speed, line length, sensible line breaks and positioning that avoids on-screen graphics.
Machine-generated captions are not acceptable for broadcast delivery. They mishandle proper nouns, code-switching between English and Indian languages, and overlapping speech — all of which are constant in Indian programming.
8. The paperwork package
A delivered programme is a package, not a file. Expect to supply:
- The programme master and a textless submaster
- Split audio stems, including a music-and-effects mix
- A music cue sheet with titles, composers, publishers, usage type and exact durations
- A programme-as-broadcast form with part durations and break positions
- Caption and subtitle files per language
- Metadata: synopsis at required lengths, cast and crew, genre, classification
- Key art and thumbnails in the specified ratios
- Clearance documentation for archive, music and contributors
The music cue sheet deserves emphasis: it is what triggers royalty payments to composers and publishers, and an incomplete one both delays acceptance and deprives people of money they are owed.
9. Build versions from one conform, not several
Modern programmes are rarely delivered once. The same title may need a broadcast master, an OTT master at a different resolution, a shorter cut for an international slot, regional language versions and a set of promo clips.
The efficient way to produce these is a single conform from which every version is derived, with a versioning structure in the edit that keeps the shared material common. The inefficient way — separate projects per version — guarantees that a late change to a shot reaches some versions and not others, and that colour and audio drift apart between them.
Practically this means: conform once at the highest resolution and quality you will ever need, grade and mix once, keep text and graphics on separate layers so they can be removed for the textless and re-created per language, and export each delivery from that single master. Retro-fitting this structure to a project that was cut without it is one of the most common reasons a simple-sounding version request turns into a week of work.
10. Watch the details that fail quietly
Some faults pass automated QC and cause problems later. Timecode that is discontinuous or does not start at the specified hour will confuse ingest and break frame-accurate references in the paperwork. Aspect ratio flags set incorrectly cause pillarboxing or stretched images on some receivers even when the pixels are right. Closed-caption data left embedded from an earlier version conflicts with the delivered subtitle file. Chapter or segment markers carried over from an edit appear as unexplained break points.
None of these is difficult to check. All of them are easier to catch before delivery than to explain afterwards.
11. Run automated QC before you submit
Every broadcaster runs automated QC at ingest. Run the same check yourself first. Commercial QC tools produce a report against a chosen template covering codec conformance, loudness, black and freeze detection, gamut legality, flash risk and duration.
The cost of an in-house QC pass is trivial. The cost of a rejection is a re-delivery cycle, a possible slot change and a conversation with a client who now doubts your process.
12. Archive what you delivered
Keep the delivered master, the project files, the audio session, the graphics projects and the full paperwork package together, and record the archive location. Broadcasters come back years later asking for a version in a different language, a re-edit for a new slot or a clip for a promo. A producer who can service that request in an hour is one who gets commissioned again.
If delivery is the part of your process that keeps failing, our post-production and mastering team takes on finishing and delivery for programmes shot by other production houses — and we would rather fix the workflow than the file.
Frequently asked questions
What loudness should I master to for Indian television?
Most Indian broadcasters specify a programme loudness target of around -23 LUFS measured to ITU-R BS.1770, with true peaks kept below -1 dBTP. Always confirm the target with the specific channel, since some specify -24 LUFS and a few still work to peak-based levels.
Why do files get rejected for black frames?
Playout automation treats extended black as a possible fault or as an unmarked break. Most specifications allow only a short run of black — commonly under two seconds inside the programme — and require a defined leader and tail rather than arbitrary padding.
Do I need to deliver a textless version?
Almost always, yes. A textless submaster containing every shot that carries burnt-in text or graphics allows the broadcaster to produce localised versions later. Producing it at conform takes minutes; recreating it after the project is archived can take days.
What is a programme-as-broadcast form?
It is the document that records exactly what is in the delivered programme: durations of each part, break positions, music cues with timings and rights information, and contributor details. Broadcasters use it for rights reporting and royalty payments, and most will not accept delivery without it.
