DTH
Pakistan gets tough on Indian DTH & content
Mumbai: Politics and media make for strange bed fellows. More often than not one annoys the other. And a backlash follows even worse than a woman scorned. Take a look at what’s happening in Pakistan. And what’s happening in India.
Both sides are banning the transmission of channels in their respective countries. The Jammu & Kashmir government has banned five channels; earlier the Indian government had banned Pakistani channels. But Pakistani content was being shown on cable networks in the country.
Pakistan, however, is going a step further. It is drawing up a multipronged strategy to close the doors on Indian content transmission into Pakistan whether through Pakistani satellite television or Indian DTH operators like Dish TV. Airtel, Videocon d2h, or on illegal TV cable channels in the country run by local operators there.
On the satellite dishes and DTH front, its media watchdog – the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) – says it is approaching different law-enforcement agencies in Pakistan ensure that sales of Indian DTH operators decoders – which it says are illegally being sold there – are banned in Pakistan as they don’t have landing rights or permissions to beam in Pakistan. It is also in the process of informing the chief ministers of the various provinces, including the Federal Investigation Agency, the Federal Bureau of Revenue to get behind the money trail of the sale and purchase of decoders and annual subscriptions for Indian DTH services. Dealers of Indian DTH decoders are going to be acted against immediately by local enforcement agencies.
According to him close to three million illegal Indian DTH decoders are currently available and active in Pakistan, on which there will be a crackdown through these measures.
On the content front, Alam firmly stated that his organization would ensure that Pakistani satellite television channels adhere to the six minutes per hour limit on Indian content going forward. Pakistani satellite TV channels have been airing Indian soaps, series and Naagin is among the top rated shows in the country. A Pemra board meeting took a decision to totally ban Indian channels as none of them have downlinking permission.
Alam has ordered cable TV networks to stop running illegal channels on their networks using compact disc content, failing which again strict action will once again be taken.
Pemra gave the managements of the broadcast networks 45 days until 15 October to adhere to the diktat, failing which punitive action- ranging from fines to suspension of licences – will follow.
Finally, the Pemra boss also made appeals to the Pakistani viewers to put a full stop to Indian content and satellite TV. “I urge the people to stop using illegal Indian dishes as it is in utter violation of the law and against the national interest,” he said.
DTH
DD Free Dish e-auction revenue dips to Rs 642 crore as slot sales fall
Revenue dips as revised norms reshape bidding in 94th round
NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati’s DD Free Dish has closed its 8th annual, and 94th overall, e-auction for MPEG-2 slots with total collections of Rs 642 crore for the period April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
That is lower than last year’s Rs 780 crore haul, with 55 slots sold compared with 61 in FY25–26. The softer topline reflects both a slimmer inventory and a recalibrated auction framework.
This was the first auction conducted after amendments to the e-auction methodology, including tighter eligibility norms and a revised reserve price structure for MPEG-2 slots. The stated aim was greater transparency and more serious participation. The immediate outcome appears to be more measured bidding in certain categories.
Day one set the tone. Eight slots were sold, six in the premium Bucket A+ and two in Bucket A. The strong early action in A+, which typically houses Hindi GECs and movie channels, reaffirmed the enduring appeal of mass Hindi programming on the platform.
Among the broadcasters securing slots in the initial rounds were Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Sony Pictures Networks India, Viacom18’s Colors network, Sun Network and Shemaroo Entertainment. Their continued presence signals that, despite the pull of digital platforms, Free Dish remains a strategic must have for legacy networks chasing scale in price sensitive markets.
The final bouquet of 55 channels leans heavily towards Hindi news, movies, devotional fare, Bhojpuri and regional programming.
In Hindi news, familiar heavyweights such as Aaj Tak, ABP News, India TV, News18 India, Republic Bharat and Zee News made the cut. Entertainment and movie offerings include Colors Rishtey, Star Utsav, Dangal TV, Sony Pal, Shemaroo TV, Goldmines, B4U Movies and Zee Biskope. Devotional viewers will find Aastha, Sanskar and Sadhna Gold among the selected channels.
Regional representation includes Sun Marathi, Fakt Marathi, PTC Punjabi and GTC Punjabi.
Equally telling were the absences. Broadcasters such as Big Magic, Filamchi Bhojpuri, India News, Bharat Express, Movieplex Maithili, TV9 Marathi, Shemaroo Marathibana, Zee Chitra Mandir and Satsang did not participate. The pullback is particularly visible across Marathi, Bhojpuri, Maithili and spiritual programming. Industry observers point to the revised reserve prices, tighter eligibility norms and a reassessment of commercial viability as possible factors.
DD Free Dish continues to beam into over 40 million homes, largely in rural and semi urban India. For advertisers and broadcasters alike, it offers efficient access to Bharat markets where pay TV penetration remains uneven and OTT subscriptions are limited.
The moderation in revenue this year may be read as a pause rather than a retreat. Fewer slots, a reworked auction playbook and evolving broadcaster strategies have clearly shaped outcomes. Yet premium Hindi entertainment retains its pull, and the platform’s mass reach remains hard to ignore.
As the FY26–27 line-up settles in, the mix of winners and walkaways will define the private satellite channel landscape on DD Free Dish for the year ahead.
