DTH
IndiaCast issues public notice about Dish TV
MUMBAI: Dish TV subscribers might have been a wee bit surprised today when they saw an IndiaCast notice in newspapers and on their TV channels informing them about a possible channel unavailability from 1 January.
Last month Dish TV went on a hyper drive promoting its “on request channels” campaign that was designed to give TV consumers freedom of choice and give them the option of taking up a flexible package and allow India’s oldest DTH operator to generate savings.
As part of that scheme (which is still going on), Dish TV subscribers need to SMS or telephone its call centre and opt for the IndiaCast channels they want. Subscribers who choose not to SMS or choose to unrequest the IndiaCast channels have a reward waiting for them in the form of 100 bonus points (Rs 100) per unrequested channel, which they can redeem against the movies on demand service that Dish TV is offering.
The DTH operator had said that it is looking at increasing revenues and reducing content costs over a period of time. The initiative of knowing what channels consumers want would help it bring down satellite transponder and bandwidth consumption costs as it would help it decide which channels it can take off. This unbundling of packages would be a win-win situation for itself as well as subscribers.
Now, IndiaCast has been running TV promos on all its channels and has also issued a public notice on the same issue in select newspapers. The newspaper notice has cautioned general TV viewers who are subscribers of Dish TV “that several IndiaCast channels might not get carried on Dish TV from 1 January 2014 and that Dish TV would be offering its movies-on-demand instead.”
In the notice, IndiaCast has asked Dish TV subscribers to call up the DTH operator’s call centres if they want these channels to be included in their packages. Additionally, it has informed subscribers that alternatively they can get a “new connection from service providers such as Tata Sky, Airtel, Videocon, Hathway, DEN and InCable.”
IndiaCast, reportedly, has five different agreements with Dish TV for TV18-Viacom18, Disney, UTV, Eenadu and HD channels. Out of these, three deals namely TV18-Viacom18, Disney and UTV are slated for renewal on 1 January 2014.
The channels that are mentioned in the advertisement – Colors, CNBC TV 18, MTV, CNN IBN, Bindass, Nick, IBN7, CNBC Awaaz, UTV Movies, History TV, Disney, Hungama, Sonic, Disney XD, UTV Action, Comedy Central, VH1, UTV World Movies, Nick Jr, Disney Junior and IBN Lokmat are a part of the three deals coming for renewal.
Earlier this week, a case filed in The Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) by Dish TV came up for hearing in which it claimed that IndiaCast was refusing to provide signals to the DTH provider on account of the carriage fees it was charging the aggregator. The case was dismissed and a settlement was reached between the two that Dish TV will get the channels on a reference interconnect order (RIO) basis.
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.
