DTH
Airtel Digital TV adds 1.2 mn subscribers in FY20
KOLKATA: While Mukesh Ambani’s Jio has made quite a buzz for its innovation and acquisitions to expand its Jio Fiber business, Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Airtel is scaling up its DTH and broadband business. Airtel Digital TV added 1.2 million subscribers in FY 20 thanks to its premium HD content.
The DTH service has 16.6 million subscribers as of 31 March 2020 compared to 15.4 million subscribers in FY 19. Although the subscriber base went up, the revenue fell by 29 per cent. It has reported Rs 29,238 million for the year as compared to Rs 41,001 million in the previous year (an increase of 16 per cent on an underlying basis).
The company introduced Airtel Xstream services in FY 20 for its broadband and DTH customers with a 360 Degree campaign ‘Don’t just watch TV on your TV.' Moreover, its converged proposition of integrated home offering has been launched in ten cities as on 31 March 2020. Under the new offering, customers can opt for multiple services from Airtel i.e., postpaid, broadband and DTH under one bill.
“With an aim to widen our DTH market, we adopted an inclusive approach to empower our Rural Sales Fraternity, wherein freelancer technicians (electricians) and other workers were encouraged to sell and install new DTH connections at customer premises. In FY 2019-20, there were 4,099 active DOST executives across the country, engaged and empowered to drive new DTH activations,” it said in its annual report.
Airtel currently provides fixed-line telephone and broadband services for homes in 111 cities across India. The Homes business had 2.4 million customers as on 31 March 2020 up by 6.3 per cent as compared to 2.3 million at the end of the previous year. Revenues from this segment stood at Rs 22,451 million for the year as compared to Rs 22,391 million in the previous year, an increase of 0.3 per cent.
Follow Tellychakkar for the consumer facing news & entertainment
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.
