DTH
THE DTH IMPASSE: A CHRONOLOGY
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DATE
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EVENT
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| December 1996: | The United Front Government under Prime Minister Deve Gowda issues a notification saying that a licence has to be obtained for Ku-band DTH services. Many companies, including Star TV, apply for a licence. But government delays the process. |
| 26 March 1997: | Star TV holds a press conference in Delhi detailing their DTH plans. Star TV Asia CEO Gary Davey and others attend the function where a live demo is given. |
| First week April 1997: | The then communication minister Beni Prasad Verma signs a policy setting the terms and conditions for granting licences to DTH players. Two holidays follow and it cannot be notified. |
| 11 April 1997: | Gowda government falls as Congress withdraws support. |
| May 1997: | I&B minister Jaipal Reddy introduces the broadcast bill in Parliament which gets referred to a joint parliamentary committee. |
| July 1997: | The United Front Government under Prime Minister I.K. Gujaral issues another notification banning maintaining or keeping equipment capable of receiving TV signals over 4800 Mhz (Ku-band) till a comprehensive broadcast law is passed. |
| November 1997: | Gujaral government falls. |
| December 1998: | I&B minister Pramod Mahajan with the BJP-led government says the issue of DTH cannot wait till the passage of the broadcast bill. A decision has to be taken soon. |
| January-February 1999: | The Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee sets up a group of ministers (GoM), comprising ministers of I&B, communications, defence, finance and home, to come up with recommendations on DTH.Promod Mahajan said that DTH is as powerful as a Nuclear bomb. |
| February-April Ist week 1999: | Lot of study papers on DTH compiled for GoM, which fails to meet formally even once. But hopes of favourable recommendations abound as I&B minister admits in private he hopes to make an announcement in Parliament once it reassembles after a fortnight’s recess. |
| 17 April 1999 | The BJP-led government loses the vote of confidence on the floor of the Lower House of parliament. |
| October 1999 | National Democratic Alliance comes to power in the centre |
| 18 October 2000 | Jaitley sworn in as I & B Minister give indication as they will move fast on the DTH front, though cautiously. DD wants an exclusive licence for two years. |
| 15 March 2000 | Murdoch pushes for DTH service in India |
| 10 April 2000 | Jaitley said Prime Minister A B Vajpayee had constituted a committee chaired by the Union Minister to work out details of direct-to-home (DTH) services and uplinking facilities. |
| 4 October 2000 | Sushama Swaraj again takes on as I & B Minister, promises Television-for-Family |
| 16 October 2000 | Star TV’s James Murdoch, Bruce Churchill and Peter Mukherjee meet Swaraj |
| 29 Octobet 2000 | GoM committee headed by Home Minister L K Advani finalises most of the recommendations for lifting DTH ban. Law minister Arun Jaitley asked to frame legal ramifications on DTH. |
| 30 October 2000 | GoM committee recommends opening up DTH. I & B Minister Sushama Swaraj says that she will submit a note to the Indian Cabinet for a final decision. |
| 2 November 2000 | Cabinet Approves lifting DTH ban. Issues notification. |
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.
