DTH
Tata Sky brings global content for Indians, premiering Gomorrah on 19 Mar
MUMBAI: Tata Sky, India’s innovative content distribution platform, has launched Tata Sky World Series – the exclusive home of much admired global content. The pop-up service will premiere first with popular Italian language crime drama, Gomorrah, on 19 March.
Tata Sky, a joint venture between the Tata Sons and 21st Century Fox, is one of India’s leading content distribution platform providing Pay TV and OTT services.
‘Gomorrah’ will be the first TV series on Tata Sky World Series and shall run for one month with English subtitles. On television, the pop-up service, Tata Sky World Series will run one new episode a day along with previous episodes available throughout the day. Gomorrah will be available to all Tata Sky subscribers for a period of one month via Tata Sky’s Set-Top-Box & Tata Sky Mobile App at no additional cost.
Tata Sky Chief Content & Business Development Officer Paolo Agostinelli said, “Tata Sky constantly pushes the boundaries of innovation by providing an assorted and rich array of content to our subscribers on platforms of their choice; be it the Set-Top-Box or the Tata Sky Mobile App. This new service will enable our subscribers to consume global content which otherwise would not have reached the Indian sub-continent through the conventional mediums of television. Gomorrah being the first of many international TV shows on Tata Sky World Series, is a scintillating drama on the much-romanced Italian Mafia, that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats.”
Today subscribers are increasingly involved on social media and latch on to popular content digitally. In line with this trend, the ‘Tata Sky World Series’ service will be accessible on Tata Sky On-demand for binge watching, for the entire month, both on STBs and on digital devices via Tata Sky Mobile.
Tata Sky World Series will showcase fresh and exciting global content from Italy, UK, Cuba, Norway, Czech Republic and South Korea on Indian screens exclusively for Tata Sky subscribers throughout the year.
‘Gomorrah’ is Italy’s popular television series based on the best-selling book by the journalist Roberto Saviano. The novel has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and inspired the film Gomorrah, which won the 2008 Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. The series, set in the suburbs of Naples in Italy, focuses on the inside story of the Camorra, the fierce Neapolitan crime organization, and is told through the eyes of Ciro Di Marzio (Marco D’Amore), the right hand of the clan’s godfather, Pietro Savastanno (Fortunato Cerlino).
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.
