DTH
Star’s DTH plan high on Guthrie’s India agenda: report
MUMBAI: Star’s Indian DTH platform is a priority for newly appointed Group chief executive Michelle Guthrie, as is “getting paid for the subs (subscribers) we aren’t getting paid for.”
These are some of Guthrie’s thoughts on her newly acquired position and plans for the future given in an interview to the monthly magazine Television Asia .
Also high on Guthrie’s agenda is a hunt for new channels in India and elsewhere. The India channel roadmap includes a children’s channel (Disney??) and a companion to the loner at the top, Star Plus (free-to-air Star Classic??), she says in the interview. “I think there is a lot more advertising growth left in the [Indian] market,” is her assessment.
“In India, the TV ad market is $500-$600 million. We are going to bump up against that. If we have even 100 out of 100 programmes, the ad pie is going to constrain our growth unless we start growing the pie,” she tells Television Asia . Guthrie’s long term plans include trying to expand the TV advertising markets in the countries in which Star operates, to expand the subscription markets, and “really, to readdress the balance of where that subscription money goes.” Guthrie did express satisfaction that subscriber declaration in India had “doubled in the last three years from five million to more than 10 million.”
As for DTH, she is hopeful that arrangements can be worked out so Star can get a licence next year ,”so that we can launch as soon as possible.”
The Television Asia article quotes a September 2003 Deutsche Bank report as valueing Star India at between $1.8 billion and $2.4 billion. If we accept the upper figure, it means that Star India accounts for 80 per cent of the total value that Star Asia is pegged at – which is $3 billion. The Deutsche Bank report projects Star Asia as growing to a $4.5 billion valuation by 2006.
Guthrie, who pipped several contenders to the post, surprising many regular media observers, joined Star in Hong Kong in June 2000. Before that, she was director of legal and business affairs at Foxtel in Australia. She also worked as corporate counsel in London for News International and British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB). She joined News Corporation in 1994 from Australian law firm Allen, Allen and Hemsley.
While she doesn’t rule out the platform acquisition route, she does maintain that India and Greater China will remain Star’s core markets. It is scale and content that have worked to Star’s advantage particularly in India, Guthrie tells Television Asia.
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.
