DTH
Tata Sky gets Ciscos Videoscape Video Everywhere solution for multi-screen experience
MUMBAI: Tata Sky has taken a lead in enhancing consumer experience. The direct to home player has deployed Cisco’s ‘Videoscape Video Everywhere’ solution, a thin-client user interface application enabling new multi-screen experiences beyond the set-top box.
The DTH player is the first in Asia to deploy this solution. Rolled out first on iOS and soon to be on Android platforms, this live streaming service will be available on many mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets such as iPads.
The ‘Videoscape Video Everywhere’ solution is a part of Cisco Videoscape Unity, a platform that delivers and monetises a new generation of compelling, differentiated video experiences, which are personalised, synchronised and social. It offers both content management and user interface capabilities to enable consistent and synchronised experiences across all subscribers’ devices, including TVs, tablets, PCs, mobile devices and games consoles.
The solution also provides multi-platform security technology to provide the critical end-to-end content protection required to monetise premium content and services. With advanced search and other content discovery features, subscribers can expect unprecedented flexibility to find their favourite content and new content of interest quickly and easily.
Cisco Asia Pacific vice president Sue Taylor said, “Video services have never been more popular or valuable. Video has moved beyond TV and to differentiate their offerings, video service providers have to take multi-screen experiences to the next level – delivering video in a more exciting, and engaging way. We are excited to work with Tata Sky on this journey of providing next-generation experience to its subscribers. With this solution, they may be able to watch live, on-demand, and catch-up video content on any iOS and Android device, anytime, anywhere. Furthermore, Tata Sky will be able to improve subscribers’ loyalty, speed time to market of new services and service enhancements as well as assure high quality even over unmanaged networks and devices.”
“We always strive to provide unparalleled services and superior experience to our consumers. Our subscribers’ will be able to take the video experience with them on the move; thereby transforming their handheld device into a fully-functional TV screen with an interface which is clean, simple and easy to navigate. Cisco’s global experience and technology leadership will help us to unleash a new generation of video experiences for our viewers and at the same time strengthen our competitive edge,” informed Tata Sky CCO Vikram Mehra.
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.
