DTH
DD Free Dish sees robust bidding for MPEG-4 e-auction, 11 channels allocated slots
KOLKATA: Prasar Bharati has earned nearly Rs 10 crore through the 53rd e-auction of MPEG-4 slots of DD Free Dish. 11 channels were successfully allocated MPEG-4 slots post the auction.
The 53rd round of e-auctions was dominated by news channels, with 10 out of the 11 slot up for grabs being won by news outlets. The channels that earned the FTA tag this time are: Chardikla Time TV, I Love Pen Studios, India News, India News UP/UK, Jantantra TV, News 18 UP/UK, News 24 Think First, News India 24X7, News State UP/UK, Samay, Sudarshan News.
The bid values of these channels were in the range of Rs 76 lakh and Rs 1.12 crore.
“Thankful to all broadcasters who have reposed faith in DD Free Dish platform. The e-auctions for both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 slots have seen robust bidding and new highs in individual bids breaching earlier levels in a sign of optimism in the broadcast sector overcoming Covid2019 shock,” Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati said.
The pubcaster recently amended the policy guidelines for DD Free Dish slots. According to new guidelines, the reserve price for MPEG-4 slots have been fixed at Rs 50 lakh per annum. Earlier, the reserve price was Rs 5 lakh per annum.
The amended rules termed ‘Policy guidelines for allotment of slots of DD Free Dish Direct-to-Home Platform to satellite TV channels (Third amendment) 2021’ came into force from 22 February.
Under the old rules, the participation fee was at Rs 1.25 lakh which has been revised to Rs 10 lakh. The incremental amount in the auction bids of MPEG-4 slots stands at a minimum of Rs 2 lakh, compared to Rs 10,000 under the old guidelines.
DTH Operator
JC Flowers withdraws NCLT plea against Dish TV over EGM demand
Move eases pressure on DTH firm as long-running shareholder dispute cools
MUMBAI: In a breather for Dish TV India, JC Flowers Asset Reconstruction has withdrawn its petition before the National Company Law Tribunal seeking directions to convene an extraordinary general meeting.
The development was disclosed by Dish TV in a regulatory filing, confirming that the petitioner chose to withdraw the case during a hearing at the Mumbai bench of the tribunal. A detailed order from the bench is still awaited.
The petition, originally filed under Sections 98 to 100 of the Companies Act, 2013, sought to push for an extraordinary general meeting to address governance issues at the company. The case had its roots in a prolonged shareholder tussle dating back to 2021, when Yes Bank, then the largest shareholder, was at odds with the promoter group led by Subhash Chandra over board reconstitution.
JC Flowers had stepped into the picture as an assignee of Yes Bank’s stressed assets, effectively continuing the legal push initiated earlier. The withdrawal now signals a pause, if not a closure, to that chapter of dispute.
While the reasons behind the withdrawal have not been formally detailed, the move reduces immediate legal pressure on Dish TV, which has been navigating both operational and regulatory challenges in recent years.
For now, the focus shifts back to the company’s business fundamentals, even as the legal dust settles, at least temporarily, on one of its more closely watched shareholder battles.
