DTH
90 per cent of US households to have digital TV by 2009
MUMBAI: Digital TV in the US is reshaping whole industries, and almost everything is about to change. Digital technology will ensure that TV broadcasting and its associated business models will undergo a massive change, the form of which will be governed by the consumer.
That is the outlook from eMarketer’s new report US Digital TV: Think Outside the Box, which forecasts that by the end of 2009, nearly 90 per cent of all households will have digital TV, assuming that analog TV signals in the US will be switched off by the end of 2009. If a TV household has not subscribed to a digital TV service from a cable or satellite provider or purchased appropriate equipment, they will be unable to watch TV. With this TV-less threat looming, digital TV acceptance is expected to rise rapidly over the next five years.
The digitisation of television signals is driving fundamental changes in the ways viewers receive TV content. From viewing clips on mobile phones or laptops, never before has the phrase ‘think outside the box’ been more apt than in the developing digital TV sector.
eMarketer senior analyst and the report’s author Ben Macklin says, “Online entertainment is compelling because Internet users can access the content they want when they want it. The viewing experience on a PC is still far inferior to the TV, but bandwidth and technological improvements will inevitably solve these issues. So it’s somewhat irrelevant to argue whether the PC or the TV will be the primary media hub in the future. It’s the Internet that’s the driver of change, and when you break things down to their component bits, as digital technology does, then the PC and TV will just be two of many nodes on which Internet users access the content, applications and services they want, when they want them.”
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.
