DTH
ESPN Star Sports comes aboard Zee’s Dish DTH
NEW DELHI: The sceptics can gulp.
The ASC Enterprise and Zee combine promoted Dish TV direct-to-home (DTH) KU-band television service has signed a deal with ESPN Star Sports for carriage of the sports channels on the platform.
According to Zee Telefilms sources, the carriage deal was signed last week and the two sports channels have already made an appearance on the DTH platform that is marketed under the Dish TV brand name.
ESS’ coming aboard could well pave the way for the Star Network and Sony-Discovery One Alliance channels to also join Dish.
Both ASC Enterprise, the DTH licence holder, and Zee Telefilms are companies promoted by Subhash Chandra.
However, at the moment, the full financial details are not known. What has been indicated is that the present carriage deal is valid for two years.
Contacted by indiantelevision.com, ESPN Software India MD R.C. Venkateish confirmed reaching a pact with Dish TV with a memorandum of understanding being signed on Saturday.
“As content providers, we are always looking out for platforms to have our content distributed. DTH is one such outlet and we expect that the (Zee/ASC) DTH platform would only add to our revenues and distribution reach,” Venkateish explained.
Though Venkateish refused to spell out the commercial aspects of the deal in detail, he did admit that it would be valid for two years giving the managers of the DTH platform enough time to establish the service and increase penetration.
According to information available with indiantelevision.com, the complex DTH pact envisages, amongst other things, ESS being paid for the two sports channels a rate per subscriber that would be close to the price of Rs 32 announced by the broadcaster for CAS regions.
The deal also has provisions for ESS getting paid for a mutually agreed upon minimum number of DTH households after six months.
It is expected that with ESPN and Star Sports coming on board, Dish TV’s saleability would increase, though, ideally, Dish TV management would also like to strike a deal with Ten Sports, which has the rights for the forthcoming India-Pakistan cricket series to be played in Pakistan, for carriage of that channel too on the DTH platform.
Meanwhile, indiantelevision.com also learns that more third-party channels are expected to be added to the Dish TV bouquet soon, raising the total number of channels from the existing 48, which includes the newly-introduced ESPN and Star Sports channels.
Pointing out that some technical upgradation would be needed to accommodate more channels, which had been announced as part of a second phase expansion, Zee Telefilms vice-chairman and head of Zee’s cable arm Siti Cable, Jawahar Goel, said, “Getting more third-party channels is an on-going process and we are poised to bring in some more channels.”
The Dish TV-ESS deal comes close on the heels of the house of Tatas announcing a 80:20 joint venture agreement with the Rupert Murdoch-controlled Star Group Pvt. Ltd. for a DTH service in India. The joint venture, however, is yet to submit a reworked application to the Indian government.
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.
