DTH
d2h skill introduced on Amazon Alexa in India
MUMBAI: With an aim to further enhance the TV viewing experience for its d2h customers, Dish TV India Limited, the world’s largest single-country DTH Company has launched a Skill for Amazon Alexa in India. Say, “Alexa, enable d2h” and start using the skill to explore a vast world of entertainment, discover movies, sports and music, using only your voice.
d2h skill will allow subscribers to use voice commands through Alexa to surf a wide range of content and get up-to-date information of their d2h account. With d2h skill, subscribers will be able to set reminders for their favorite programs, get recommendations on trending programs, access to d2h account details, register ‘call me’ request, do basic trouble shooting and lot more though Alexa enabled devices.
Highlighting benefits of d2h skill for Alexa, Mr. Anil Dua, Executive Director & Group CEO, Dish TV India Limited, said, "Voice enabled search and information access is the cutting edge of home entertainment today. We are excited to bring the convenience of voice control with Alexa for our d2h customers. This launch reaffirms our commitment of always offering the latest and the most relevant technology to our d2h customers to make their viewing experience world class.”
The d2h Alexa skill can be used by anyone with an Amazon Echo smart speaker or other devices such as headphones and speakers with Alexa built-in. The skill can also be accessed through the Alexa app available on iOS and Android. With more functionality and additional features in the pipeline, customers will be able to do much more through the d2h skill.
"Using voice commands with Alexa to access entertainment and control smart home is like a magical experience. Many customers share that they enjoy the simplicity and ease of getting all kinds of entertainment, from videos, music to games, by just asking Alexa" said Dilip R.S., Country Manager for Alexa Skills and Voice Services, Amazon India. "The television is usually the centerpiece of common areas at home where families come together. We are extremely happy to see Dish TV India embrace voice technology for enriching the TV viewing experience with the d2h Alexa skill".
Furthermore, d2h subscribers can link their account and access information such as current balance, switch-off date and monthly recharge amount, using a selection of prompts to initiate the Alexa skill for d2h.
DTH
DD Free Dish e-auction heats up with 26 MPEG-2 slots sold in two days
Hindi movies, GEC and news dominate; Star Utsav Movies tops Day 2 at Rs 213.45 crore
MUMBAI- The bidding war on DD Free Dish is turning into a blockbuster and the slots are selling faster than popcorn at interval. Prasar Bharati’s 8th annual MPEG-2 e-auction delivered another strong day on Tuesday, with 18 more channels securing spots across movies, regional music and news buckets, taking the two-day total to 26.
Day 2 belonged to the movies and news categories. In Bucket A (Hindi Movies), Star Utsav Movies led the pack at Rs 213.45 crore, pipped only narrowly by Zee Action at Rs 213.4 crore. Goldmines landed at Rs 13.35 crore and Zee Anmol at Rs 13.3 crore, showing razor-thin price bands and fierce competition. Bucket B saw Zee Bioscope top at Rs 10.6 crore, Bhojpuri Cinema Rs 10.5 crore, B4U Bhojpuri Rs 10.2 crore, while Showbox, Unique TV and B4U Music each closed at Rs 10.25 crore.
News channels in Bucket C stayed tightly bunched: NDTV, Aaj Bharat, Zee News and India TV all secured slots at Rs 8.6 crore, with News Nation and ABP News slightly higher at Rs 8.65 crore. Bucket D rounded out with Russia Today at Rs 9.75 crore and GTC Punjabi at Rs 7.92 crore.
Day 1 had already set a premium tone, with eight slots snapped up – six in Bucket A+ (Hindi/Urdu GEC, starting reserve Rs 15 crore) and two in Bucket A (Hindi/Urdu Movies, starting Rs 12 crore). Sony PAL topped Day 1 winners at Rs 16.55 crore, Star Utsav Rs 16.25 crore, Shemaroo TV Rs 16.35 crore, Zee Anmol, Colors Rishtey and Sun Neo at Rs 16.40 crore each. Sony WAH took a Bucket A slot at Rs 13.95 crore and Zee Anmol Cinema at Rs 13.45 crore.
The surge reflects broadcasters’ hunger for DD Free Dish’s estimated 43–45 million rural and semi-urban households, where Hindi GEC and movies remain advertising goldmines.
The auction runs under the revised E-auction Methodology 2025 (amended 9 January 2026), with escalating reserves – Round 2 Bucket A+ at Rs 16 crore, Round 3 Bucket A at Rs 13 crore – and stricter eligibility to weed out speculative bids. Channels must be operational, available in the relevant language, and already carried on at least one private DTH, DD Free Dish or registered MSO.
With premium genres flying off the shelf, the coming rounds will test how deep pockets really are as reserves climb and tactical down-bidding gets harder. In India’s largest free-to-air universe, these auctions aren’t just about slots – they’re about who gets to stay on the screen that reaches deepest into the heartland.
