DTH
DD FreeDish to roll out call centre
MUMBAI: It’s getting customer-focused. Almost as if inspired by the services provided by the private DTH providers such as Tata Sky, DishTV, Videcon d2h, Airtel Digtial TV, and Sun Direct, the Doordarshan-promoted free TV provider DD FreeDish is getting set to launch its call centre facility.
It is taking this step concurrent with the expansion of its channel capacity from 80 channels to 104, courtesy the move to upgrade its set-top boxes from MPEG2 to MPEG4.
A senior Prasar Bharati official yesterday confirmed while talking to indiantelevision.com that a call centre would be set up after completion of MPEG4 Switchover.
Once customers buy their iCAS-enabled and approved set top boxes from authorized retailers, they will then have to make a call to the FreeDish call centre to get their STB registered. This will then allow DD’s engineers to keep a tab on the number of subscribers the DTH platform has.
The call centre would be set up after the total switch-over to MPEG4 when a centre number on which a subscriber could call would also be given, the Prasar Bharati official said.
DD has been plagued by a lack of subscriber information to DD FreeDish over the years. The pubcaster created the platform but sold the MPEG2 STBs through retailers without keeping a tab on who was buying them and who is active. Estimates are that its subscriber base could be anywhere from 20 million to 40 million.
Since the new STBS are MPEG 4 compliant and have a conditional access system installed in them, they will have to be activated which will happen courtesy the call centre. This will give DD the facility of logging in every new subscriber into its system and hence have accurate subscriber counts. The call centre will apparently be the touch point for all service related complaints to the STB also.
Hitherto DD FreeDish had toll free help line and a customer help desk numbers which operate from morning to 10 pm, according to its website. The opening of a 24 hour call centre facility could add to the FreeDish customer’s delight
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.
