DTH
Powered by Shemaroo & PTC, Videocon d2h adds two VAS services
MUMBAI: Videocon d2h, India’s fastest growing DTH player is going all round in addition of new channels and services every week. Videocon d2h has now added Punjabi VAS service – d2h Mauja on occasion of Lohri, this service is brought in association with Shemaroo and is now available on Ch No.770. With this addition, Videocon d2h offers 15 Punjabi channels & services.
Mauja is an ad free service that will boast of a rich Punjabi content like music, movies, sitcoms etc d2h Mauja, Punjabi Service will offer latest Punjabi movies, devotional songs, movie clips, latest Punjabi songs and much more. You can also watch super hit movies like Vaisakhi List, Ardaas, Once Upon a Time in Amritsar and Vaapsi among others. The service is powered by PTC and Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd.This channel will plug the gap as it will broadcast old classical Punjabi movies to the latest ones apart from the Music shows and Punjabi plays. Unlike any other services, d2h Mauja is the only platform that promises to offer its audience a handpicked Punjabi movie daily.
Videocon d2h has now added Gujarati VAS service – d2h Rangilu on occasion of Makar Sankranthi. D2h Rangilu is brought in association with Shemaroo and will be available on Ch No. 867. With this addition, Videocon d2h offers 11 Gujarati channels & services. d2h Rangilu is an ad free service that will cater to the Gujarati audience and offers plays (theatre) of their favourite stars like Siddharth Randeria, Ketaki Dave, Feroz Bhagat, Sanjay Goradia and many more. Also it brings whole new range of mash ups, jokes, suvichar and traditional stand up comedy among others.
Rangilu will boast of a rich Gujarati content like plays, films, suvichar, jokes, sitcoms etc. d2h Rangilu will cater to the Gujaratis settled across India who are missing the Gujarati culture. This channel will plug the gap as it will broadcast old classical Gujarati plays, films, Hasya Darbaar, comedy series, etc.
Videocon d2h executive director Saurabh Dhoot said, “The addition of this VAS channel strengthens our Punjabi and Gujarati content. With the digitization of TV viewing in rural markets, regional and local content is what we are now focusing on.” Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera added, “We are providing a varied mix of channels and services catering to a much wider audience base.” Shemaroo director Hiren Gada, “We are glad to launch d2h Mauja and Rangilu on Videocon d2h.”
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.
