DTH
Tata Sky partners with Colors Kannada to showcase blockbuster movies
MUMBAI: Tata Sky, India’s leading content distribution platform, has yet again expanded its portfolio of regional language services and is all set to strengthen its reach amongst its core regional audience in the south market. Partnering with COLORS Kannada, one of the leading movie content providers, Tata Sky Kannada Cinema has been launched with a ready line-up of 150+ films showcasing the biggest blockbusters and leading actors of Sandalwood.
The new service will bring an uninterrupted entertainment experience for viewers with access to ad-free, high quality blockbuster movies including the latest and classic films. The service also offers a world television premiere every month. Some of the upcoming movie premieres include Kirik Party, K.G.F., Bell Bottom, Hottegagi genu battegagi, Ayogya and many more. This makes the 24×7 Tata Sky Kannada Cinema service the best Kannada ad-free cinema experience on a DTH platform with 12 movie premiers a year before television.
Commenting on the launch, Tata Sky chief communications officer Anurag Kumar said, “Kannada film industry has seen a continued growth in viewership owing to high quality movie releases in recent years. With the launch of Tata Sky Kannada Cinema in partnership with COLORS Kannada, we aim to deliver the best curated content to Sandalwood lovers across the country, enabling a great regional cinema experience.”
Added Viacom18 Kannada Entertainment Cluster business head Parameshwar Gundkal said, “With a contribution of 13% of the total Kannada television viewership, Movies is an important genre in entertainment in Karnataka. We are witnessing a sharp growth in regional film consumption across screens. With this partnership, we aim at giving viewers more of what they want via a well curated line-up of uninterrupted blockbuster movies across genres, that will keep the Kannada movie buffs glued to their television screens.”
Tata Sky Kannada Cinema offers 150+ movies across action, drama, romance, comedy and thriller including both new blockbuster movies and classics such as – KGF, Kirik Party, Ayoga, Karva, Zoom, Chandu, Vaali, Yeradu Nakshatragalu, Habba, Yudda Kanda etc featuring the biggest stars of the Kannada film industry including Sudeep Kichcha, Yash, Rakshit Shetty, Ganesh, Ninasam Sathish, Rishab Shetty, Rishi, Ravichandran, Vishnuvardhan, Ambarish, Rajkumar among others.
Commenting on the launch, Kannada Cinema’s leading celebrity and Face of the Service, Puneeth Rajkumar, said, “We’re witnessing the renaissance of Kannada Cinema through original storylines celebrating the rich Kannada culture. It makes me proud to see this phase in the industry that’s encouraging young talent and creativity. To have a platform like Tata Sky Kannada Cinema at this time that curates all new and old films and takes it to Kannada speaking audience across the country is an added boost for the film industry.”
Tata Sky Kannada Cinema strengthens the bouquet of regional cinema services for Tata Sky by offering unlimited and high-quality entertainment, catering to the growing popularity and demand for regional movie content. As a part of this endeavour, the regional bouquet already includes 7 services – Tata Sky Gujarati Cinema, Tata Sky Telugu Cinema, Tata Sky Tamil Cinema, Tata Sky Bhojpuri Sanima, Tata Sky Bangla Cinema, Tata Sky Punjab De Rang and Tata Sky Marathi Cinema.
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.
