DTH
HITS launches on Airtel Digital TV
Mumbai: Airtel Digital TV is ready to enthrall its subscribers yet again with the launch of its new service – Airtel HITS HD.
HITS brings the iconic series all set to launch on Airtel Digital TV on 20 May 2022.
Featuring a selection of some of the most popular, iconic, and award-winning Hollywood television content from the 60s to the early 2000’s, the channel is sure to take you on a lovely trip down memory lane. Airtel digital TV subscribers can now enjoy a window to the best content ever produced for television in HD like Diff’rent Strokes, Bewitched, Charmed, Bonanza, The Lucy Show, Baywatch, The Bionic Woman, Sherlock Holmes, among many others. These award-winning titles are sure to appeal to both those who remember the Golden Age of Hollywood and modern audiences.
Airtel Digital TV CEO Manu Sood said, “At Airtel we are always looking at serving the discerning content needs of our subscribers. With Airtel HITS HD we are giving our subscribers a platform to indulge in their favourite Hollywood shows from the 60s to the early 2000’s. The diverse assortment of English shows from the good old days fulfills a need gap for our evolving viewers who are constantly looking for unique entertainment destinations that are not available elsewhere be it TV or OTT.”
Rewind Networks CEO Avi Himatsinghani said, “We are thrilled to associate with Airtel Digital TV to bring Airtel HITS HD to their subscribers in India. Airtel viewers can now tune in to enjoy the finest curation of the most popular, iconic, and award-winning Hollywood television content from the past in high definition! I am certain our hand-picked selection will make the viewers reminisce over their favourite TV shows, making Airtel HITS HD a perfect destination for family viewing and entertainment. We look forward to the partnership!”
HITS features a carefully curated collection of top TV dramas and sitcoms from Hollywood and UK majors such as The Walt Disney Company, ITV Studios, Paramount, NBCUniversal, Fremantle and Sony Pictures, and will progressively introduce more titles from other studios.
The channel shall be available free for the first 10 days followed by Rs 75 per month. Airtel HITS HD will be available on Channel 167 on Airtel Digital TV and will be aired in high definition (HD) with English subtitles.
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.
