DTH
DD Free Dish looks at advertising for monetisation
MUMBAI: The government’s own direct-to-home (DTH) platform DD Free Dish has had a good run since launch because of its wide acceptance, especially in the rural areas where the reach of cable is limited and pay TV is expensive. Now, the government is drawing up plans to make money from the platform.
Last year, the government sanctioned a scheme to extend the number of channels to up to 250. In a reply in the Lok Sabha recently, Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) Rajyavardhan Rathore said that this would enable Free Dish to generate revenue via advertisements. Quoting a private newspaper, the response mentions that private channels easily garner Rs 500-700 crore as revenue a year while a channel slot on Free Dish is as low as Rs 6-8 crore. He admitted that there were limitations to the revenue models that could be adapted into the free service if it wanted to ensure quality and reach.
Another means of making money is via auction of channel slots on the DTH platform, which turned into a legal case when the auctions were arbitrarily called off mid last year by Smriti Irani, the information and broadcasting minister. Auctions have been kept in abeyance till a settlement is reached between Prasar Bharati and the networks that have reached out to the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal. The tribunal has asked the government to conduct a comprehensive review on the auctioning policy for Free Dish before any stand is taken.
At present, there are 72 free channels and 39 radio stations available on Free Dish.
Updating the parliament on its growth, Rathore added that about 66,000 DTH set-top boxes have been given out in tribal, remote and border areas. According to estimates, Free Dish’s total subscriber base is 22 million.
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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.
