DTH
“Our core business is providing content”: Sukhpreet Singh
Mumbai: Dish TV is transforming the entertainment landscape in India with the introduction of its innovative offering, ‘Dish TV Smart+’. As a pioneering move in the industry, this initiative redefines the way customers experience entertainment by providing seamless access to both TV and OTT content across all screens, without any additional charges.
With ‘Dish TV Smart+’, both new and existing subscribers of Dish TV and D2H can enjoy a plethora of popular OTT apps alongside their chosen TV subscription pack. This comprehensive service ecosystem ensures that entertainment is available anytime, anywhere, on any screen, be it through the Watcho OTT Super App, smart devices such as set-top boxes, or Android STBs. Moreover, Dish TV is forging partnerships with leading TV and Mobile Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to seamlessly integrate their services into these devices, thereby enhancing the overall user experience.
Not long ago, there was apprehension among TV channels, DTH, and Cable TV operators regarding the rapid rise of OTT entertainment in India. However, the landscape has evolved significantly since then. Today, TV networks have adapted by launching their own OTT platforms, while DTH operators have shifted their approach to become aggregators of content.
Indiantelevision.com on the sideline of the launch, caught up with Dish TV & Watcho corporate head of marketing Sukhpreet Singh. During the interview, Singh discussed the rationale behind the launch of their new initiative and shed light on the challenges encountered within the pay TV ecosystem and the DTH industry.
Edited excerpts
On the need of launching Dish TV Smart+
The need is the fact that we are in the content distribution. We don’t differentiate between where the content is coming from Customers watch content in linear platforms as well as OTT. Our job was to bring all that together in a way which is a good experience and affordable for the customers.
On the features that differentiate Dish TV Smart + from other Dish TV offerings
First thing is we are the only DTH at a price of 200+ both that provides DTH and OTT. Secondly, we are the only one who’s providing a complete ecosystem of DTH plus OTT packs along with devices and OTT apps. I think we are the only one that is able to provide any screen, anywhere and anytime at that price point.
On Dish TV Smart + integrating traditional satellite TV with online streaming services
All the traditional satellite channels are available on hardboxes. If you look at it, we have our traditional boxes, connected boxes and our OTT app which doesn’t need a box. In that app, we have live TV, OTT content from various OTT apps. So if you take all of them together, whatever customer you are, whatever devices you have, we will be able to provide you with content.
On Dobhal showcasing pay TV + smart TV to be increased by 183 million by 2030 during the presentation and the challenges faced in pure pay TV ecosystem
What was shown in the presentation was pay TV + smart TV. There is going to be a lot of hybrid consumption, that is what we are trying to tell. If you only look at the pure pay TV, they might not grow. If you take pay TV, smart TV and all the hybrid consumption, that will work. What we are seeing is people are watching a lot of content, even if it’s streaming content, they are watching it a lot on television. Consumption on television is not decreasing, that is what we described. That increase is basically pay TV and smart TV. People are gonna watch a lot more content on television and like I said, it is very narrow to describe yourself as the only satellite and DTH provider. Most of the major broadcasters are providing traditional linear services also and streaming & OTT services. Most of the major OTT apps come from the broadcasters. They are also trying to innovate. It brings me back to the point that it doesn’t matter where the content is coming from and there are all types of customers. Even in a single family, there are people watching television, there are people watching OTT only on their mobile, there are people watching OTT on smart TVs. Our job is to provide content for the modern Indian family.
On TRAI’s Performance Indicator Report highlighting the decline of the active subscriber base for pay DTH by 2.06 per cent from 66.62 million in December 2022 to 65.25 million in March 2023
Yes! The numbers which you can see in the TRAI reports, they are all in sync. We all know that if we are talking about only traditional ways of watching content then obviously it will come down. But we have to look at our business which is providing content whether it is traditional or new, doesn’t matter. Every traditional thing changes into new. Our core business is providing content. If the traditional way is coming down, then the new way will go up. If we are focused only on the traditional way, we will also go down.
On the future of content consumption in India
The way we see it from the business perspective, the number of hours that people spend while watching content is exploding. People have so much content to watch that they get confused. Right from niche content to blockbuster ones, everything is available along with many languages. Now you have such high quality content in regional languages. Even if you take a very niche language, then you will find a lot of beautiful content available, thanks to OTT platforms that are making it possible. So it’s a great time for content, it’s a great time for consuming content for all kinds of screens and our job is to make it possible.
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.
