DTH
DTH subs in Jharkhand, West Bengal, J&K jump manifold with DAS Phase III
MUMBAI: As a result of being the major beneficiaries of cable television digitisation in the country, direct to home (DTH) operators in January have seen an increase of 62 per cent in their subscriber base, with states like Jharkhand, West Bengal and Jammu & Kashmir being the major contributors as per Chrome Data Analytics & Media.
While Jharkhand’s DTH subscriber base jumped to 54 per cent in January from a meagre one per cent; in West Bengal, where there was almost nil DTH penetration, a jump to 42 per cent has been seen. Jammu & Kashmir, on the other hand, upped its DTH subscriber base from 22 per cent to 61 per cent post the Digital Addressable System (DAS) Phase III deadline of 31 December, 2015.
Bihar followed next with a 32 per cent jump in DTH subscriber base. The state’s 13 per cent DTH penetration has now has increased to 45 per cent.
With a 31 per cent jump in subscriber base, Gujarat’s DTH penetration now stands at 34 per cent, while Chhastisgarh registered a hike of 22 per cent and achieved 39 per cent DTH penetration in January.
Karnataka’s DTH subscriber base saw an increase of 12 per cent with the state achieving 21 per cent DTH penetration. While Goa saw a 11 per cent jump at 21 per cent.
With an increase ranging from four – 10 per cent, the DTH penetration percentage in other states stood as follows: Uttar Pradesh – 78 per cent, Haryana – 32 per cent, Rajasthan – 41 per cent, Punjab – 22 per cent and Uttrakhand – 45 per cent as per Chrome Data Analytics & Media.
As of 30 June, 2015 there were 78.74 million registered DTH subscribers, of which only 39.74 million were active subscriber being served by six private DTH operators. As of October 2015, the market share of these DTH operators was as follows: Dish TV – 27 per cent, Tata Sky – 20 per cent, Airtel Digital – 19 per cent, Videocon d2h – 16 per cent, Sun Direct – 12 per cent and Big TV – six per cent.
As of 31 December, 2015, while Dish TV’s subscriber base stood at 1.4 crore, Videocon d2h boasted of 1.13 crore subscribers and Airtel Digital TV had 1.11 crore subscribers. The subscriber numbers for Tata Sky, Sun Direct and and Big TV are not known.
Now with the share of DTH subscribers increasing across the country, it will be interesting to note, which operator has benefited the maximum with DAS Phase III.
What’s more, despite the stay by the High Court in five states on the implementation of DAS Phase III due to shortage of set top boxes (STBs), there has been a successful 50 per cent digitisation for phase III across the country according to Chrome.
It may be recalled that earlier this year, Chrome had claimed that post the Phase III deadline of 31 December, 2015, over 70 per cent digitisation had been achieved when analogue signals were completely switched off in various cities. However, the company has now revised its figures in the wake of analog signals being switched on again in various states, which has been stated as the cause for the steep fall in digitisation percentage in a place like Goa.
According to the revised data provided by Chrome, three states namely Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Punjab have achieved more than 90 per cent digitisation as of January 2016.
Below is the percentage of digitisation achieved by Indian states in descending order:
Andhra Pradesh – 94 per cent
Kerala – 93.5 per cent
Punjab – 90 per cent
Uttar Pradesh – 89.2 per cent
Bihar – 68.4 per cent
Haryana – 66.7 per cent
Goa – 64.9 per cent
Rajasthan – 64.2 per cent
Jammu & Kashmir – 61.2 per cent
West Bengal – 60 per cent
Jharkhand – 59.5 per cent
Chhattisgarh – 56.2 per cent
Uttarakhand – 53.4 per cent
Karnataka – 51.8 per cent
Gujarat – 51.6 per cent
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.
