DTH
Hollywood Diaries – Initiative By Airtel Digital TV & One Take Media Co.
New Delhi: Airtel Digital TV, the DTH arm of India’s largest telecommunications provider Bharti Airtel, and One Take Media Co., leading content production and distribution company based in Mumbai, together recently launched Hollywood Diaries- A collection of the finest Hollywood Movies on Airtel Digital TV Platform. This is the first SVOD/Value Added Service from the stable of One Take Media Co for Hollywood genre, although One Take Media Provides VAS in 15 genres covering various languages.
Richa Kalra, Product Head – Airtel Digital TV added, “Our existing SVOD has continued to entertain our customers and have been the best sellers in our portfolio. Hollywood Diaries marks our first Hollywood movie VAS (Value-added services) and has added a new dimension to our entertainment services. We are thrilled that this service has appealed to our vast customer base from all demographics.”
Mr. Anil Khera, Founder & CEO – One Take MediaCo. Said, “Hollywood Diaries is a service showcasing premium Hollywood Movies from across genres like Action, Thriller, Drama, Adventure, Romance and Sci-fi.Hollywood Movies have been sourced from the best and well known producers from US. We are quite happy that our first launch of this ad free Hollywoodmovies active service on Airtel Digital TV is giving their customers an international movie experience from the comfort of their homes.”
One Take Media Co has also taken lead in Korean contents and has become pioneer in bringing K-Pop to India and Popular Korean Tv series. One Take Media Co boasts of having 2000 hours of kids contents and 200+ Hollywood movies library.
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.
