DTH
Airtel Digital TV launches ‘Made in India’ set-top-boxes
MUMBAI: Airtel Digital TV, the DTH arm of Bharti Airtel, has launched its first indigenously manufactured set-top-boxes (STBs), which are aptly called ‘Made in India’ STBs.
Conceptualised and designed in India, the HD STBs will be manufactured at a facility in Pune (Ranjangaon) with an aim to match global technology standards to provide the best of experience to customers.
The boxes will serve HD users to begin with and soon all Airtel Digital TV’s set-top-boxes will be manufactured in India. This move makes Airtel Digital TV the latest corporate to join the Narendra Modi government’s Make in India initiative. The launch promotes an ecosystem that will drive indigenous manufacturing of DTH STBs empowered with production capabilities as well as technical expertise within India.
When asked about the initiative, Bharti Airtel DTH and media CEO Shashi Arora said, “With this we aim to reduce our imports and thus help drive employment and growth within the country. In the long run, cost synergies will further help us extend more benefits to our customers.”
Based on an in-house design by MyBox Tech, which is a subsidiary of Hero Electronix, and ST Microelectronics, a multinational manufacturer of Integrated Devices and semiconductors, the STBs will offer features including Full HD 1080p support, MPEG-4 video with Dolby Digital Plus Surround Sound, 5X picture clarity, unlimited recording (via USB-drive), and USB-based Wi-Fi connectivity for On-demand, Anytime TV and Interactive Gaming.
Welcoming this move by Airtel Digital TV, minister of state for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said, “It is great that Airtel Digital TV is aligning itself with our Make in India vision as this will certainly pedal the fast gaining momentum of the initiative further.”
Airtel Digital TV connection on these HD boxes will be available under various packages.
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.
