DTH
Tata Sky ties up with MediaCorp; launches a new English news channel
MUMBAI: Tata Sky has tied up with Singapore based media company MediaCorp and announced the launch of Channel NewsAsia International on Tata Sky. The memorandum was signed on November 19.
The pan-Asian channel will be available to the subscribers on channel number 535. Channel NewsAsia will be clubbed with the other English news channels available on the DTH platform and is priced at Rs.8. The channel will be a part of the a-la-carte and is a part of Tata Sky’s English news pack.
Channel NewsAsia started in March 1999 and is a Singaporean English language Asian cable television news agency and news channel. The channel is ranked among the top three most preferred English news channels in Asia and has bagged two awards in the 8th International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival.
NewsAsia’a distribution and marketing VP Chuk Chan Woon says, “Winning awards is just icing on the cake for us”, the channel’s programming is home to award winning content. The channel, in the past five years, has picked up 18 regional and international awards for their content. In the recent New York fest, the channel has bagged 8 awards. The channel has been nominated for 24 top level categories in the Asain Television awards.
Channel NewsAsia is all charged up to face the competition with the existing English news channels on Tata Sky, though the Chief Content and Business Development Officer of Tata Sky Paolo Agostinelli strongly avers that the launch of Channel NewsAsia in India is not just for competition or numbers. The opening of the channel in India will just expand the news channel list and will provide an additional source of information from around the globe for the sophisticated and evolving news hunters in India.
“Technology spreads awareness amongst the consumers. People are curious because of the internet, increasing literacy rate, the curiosity to know about what is happening around them. Our subscribers want more than what the Indian English news channels offer to them. They consume more news from the International news channels. We want to expand our International news bouquet for our subscribers by giving them a 360 perspective on what is happening. Adding Channel NewsAsia is just one step closer to our vision”, adds Agostinelli.
Channel NewsAsia’s relentless strive to be the leading news channel across Asia by delivering a much wanted content seems to make a huge difference in the eco system across Asia. Beyond reporting current issues, the channel also documents content to show Asia’s success. With this new perspective brought in India, the channel foresees a successful penetration in the Indian business.
Speaking with indiantelevision.com, Woon asserted, “We are truly proud to be partnering with Tata Sky. We believe that the platform will give us reach to people pan-India. We are well placed to provide the audience in India a better understanding of the whereabouts around them in a better and efficient way than the rest of Asia.”
Channel NewsAsia is geared up to launch in India with the same feed that is available in the global eco-system. The channel aims at providing increasing cosmopolitan Asian audiences an avenue to know what’s happening in the rest of Asia. The channel’s main focus will not be just reporting stories to the viewers but will also engage the onlookers about everything happening around in a story telling format. The other aim of the channel in India is to reach out to the Indian companies who wish to reach out to the Asian audience.
With the introduction of Channel NewsAsia International, Tata Sky has now expanded its bouquet of news channels to 96, which includes 14 English news channels, 22 Hindi news channels and 57 regional news channels.
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.
