DTH
DD’s DTH plan awaits government nod
NEW DELHI: Indian pubcaster Doordarshan’s KU-band television services foray, it seems, hinges on the government okaying a proposal to allow private satellite channels to come on the DTH platform free of any charge.
Fazed by the lack of interest shown by a large number of popular TV channels, DD had said that it would not charge any carriage fee to private broadcasters who join DD’s DTH service, called DD Direct Plus.
However, it now transpires that for this to happen, a government nod is needed because this could mean changes in the original cabinet note on the basis of which the previous government had cleared financial aid to the KU-band project.
According to a source in Prasar Bharati, which looks after DD and sibling All India Radio, “The original cabinet note on DTH had mentioned that a certain charge would be levied on private channels as carriage fee for those that would agree to come on board. Even for a waiver of this condition, a government okay is needed and it is being awaited.” Interestingly, the whole game plan involving DD’s DTH forays seems to be flawed, including the communication strategy, and this is being increasingly realized in Prasar Bharati, whose secretariat is finding itself helpless as various regional centres of DD have been announcing DTH plans without co-ordination.
“We understand that there is a flaw in the strategy as various regional kendras (centres) are announcing that they are launching DTH services. How can regional centres launch a DTH service? What was originally planned that each regional centre would do its bit to create the hype for the DTH service. But now, it seems, every centre is communicating the wrong things to the media,” the Prasar Bharati source said.
What is the information and broadcasting ministry doing on DD’s much-hyped-but-still-to-be-seen DTH service? Ministerial sources said that the file is being studied as the government would like to wait and see if the broadcast and cable regulator recommends, as part of an overall report, that all TV channels must be made available to all platforms on a non-discriminatory basis, including DTH.
Since July, DD has been heavily advertising on its network that its DTH service was to be launched soon. As of today, no final date has been fixed for the formal launch. The last date that Prasar Bharati was looking at was 15 September, which has come and gone.
DTH
DD Free Dish e-auction heats up with 26 MPEG-2 slots sold in two days
Hindi movies, GEC and news dominate; Star Utsav Movies tops Day 2 at Rs 213.45 crore
MUMBAI- The bidding war on DD Free Dish is turning into a blockbuster and the slots are selling faster than popcorn at interval. Prasar Bharati’s 8th annual MPEG-2 e-auction delivered another strong day on Tuesday, with 18 more channels securing spots across movies, regional music and news buckets, taking the two-day total to 26.
Day 2 belonged to the movies and news categories. In Bucket A (Hindi Movies), Star Utsav Movies led the pack at Rs 213.45 crore, pipped only narrowly by Zee Action at Rs 213.4 crore. Goldmines landed at Rs 13.35 crore and Zee Anmol at Rs 13.3 crore, showing razor-thin price bands and fierce competition. Bucket B saw Zee Bioscope top at Rs 10.6 crore, Bhojpuri Cinema Rs 10.5 crore, B4U Bhojpuri Rs 10.2 crore, while Showbox, Unique TV and B4U Music each closed at Rs 10.25 crore.
News channels in Bucket C stayed tightly bunched: NDTV, Aaj Bharat, Zee News and India TV all secured slots at Rs 8.6 crore, with News Nation and ABP News slightly higher at Rs 8.65 crore. Bucket D rounded out with Russia Today at Rs 9.75 crore and GTC Punjabi at Rs 7.92 crore.
Day 1 had already set a premium tone, with eight slots snapped up – six in Bucket A+ (Hindi/Urdu GEC, starting reserve Rs 15 crore) and two in Bucket A (Hindi/Urdu Movies, starting Rs 12 crore). Sony PAL topped Day 1 winners at Rs 16.55 crore, Star Utsav Rs 16.25 crore, Shemaroo TV Rs 16.35 crore, Zee Anmol, Colors Rishtey and Sun Neo at Rs 16.40 crore each. Sony WAH took a Bucket A slot at Rs 13.95 crore and Zee Anmol Cinema at Rs 13.45 crore.
The surge reflects broadcasters’ hunger for DD Free Dish’s estimated 43–45 million rural and semi-urban households, where Hindi GEC and movies remain advertising goldmines.
The auction runs under the revised E-auction Methodology 2025 (amended 9 January 2026), with escalating reserves – Round 2 Bucket A+ at Rs 16 crore, Round 3 Bucket A at Rs 13 crore – and stricter eligibility to weed out speculative bids. Channels must be operational, available in the relevant language, and already carried on at least one private DTH, DD Free Dish or registered MSO.
With premium genres flying off the shelf, the coming rounds will test how deep pockets really are as reserves climb and tactical down-bidding gets harder. In India’s largest free-to-air universe, these auctions aren’t just about slots – they’re about who gets to stay on the screen that reaches deepest into the heartland.
