DTH
Dish TV Q1 net hurt by forex loss
MUMBAI: India’s leading DTH operator, Dish TV, has narrowed its net loss in the fiscal first-quarter to Rs 323 million compared to a net loss of Rs 490 million in the trailing quarter.
Ebitda stands at Rs 1.56 billion, up from Rs 1.44 billion in the preceding quarter, as the company has cut down on marketing costs. The content cost has seen 2.9 per cent rise and is in line with the industry expectation. But a deal with Media Pro, which distributes Star, Zee and Turner channels, is expected this month which would up the content cost.
“Net loss of Rs 323 million was adversely impacted by foreign exchange loss of Rs 138 million. At the cash flow front, Dish TV continued to be free cash positive for the second consecutive quarter,” said Dish TV managing director Jawahar Goel.
Operating revenue has seen a marginal decline (0.9 per cent), but Dish TV has seen subscriber growth while ARPUs (average revenue per user) have climbed from Rs 151 to Rs 156. With Dish TV taking a price increase of Rs 20 in the first week of July across all its monthly packs, the ARPU for this fiscal should rise to around 5 per cent.
The churn rate has bettered to 1 per cent, against 1.1 per cent in the trailing quarter.
Dish TV added 504,000 gross subscribers in the quarter ended 30 June, taking its total base to 13.4 million gross and 9.8 million net subscribers at the end of the quarter. The company is on track to achieve its target of 2.5 million new subscribers in the fiscal.
“Churn sustained its downward movement, closing at 1% per month, while ARPU strengthened to Rs 156, mainly due to the price hikes taken previously.
Efficiencies at the cost front helped enhance operating margins despite normalised lease rentals flattening the top-line growth. Enhanced offer fee, coupled with higher number of subscriber adds sequentially, maintained subscriber acquisition cost largely in line with the previous quarter,” Goel said.
Dish TV’s subscriber acquisition cost (SAC) has jumped to Rs 2,145 compared to Rs 2,127 in the preceding quarter.
Dish TV‘s operating revenue fell by 0.9 per cent to Rs 5.20 billion, compared to Rs 5.25 billion in the trailing quarter.
Subscription revenue grew 5 per cent QoQ to Rs 4.5 billion on higher ARPUs. Carriage income fell to Rs 80 million, from Rs 130 million.
Dish TV has controlled its expenses during the quarter which stood at Rs 3.64 billion, from Rs 3.80 billion in the previous quarter. This was due to a 49.6 per cent cut in advertisement expenses.
The company spent Rs 135 million on advertising compared to Rs 268 million in the previous quarter. Marketing spends should go up substantially as the company guided an expenditure of Rs 1 billion this fiscal.
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.
