DTH
DD’s DTH targets 1 mn subscribers by end-2005
NEW DLHI: A delay in the formal launch — or dedication to the nation, as Prasar Bharati would like to put it — of pubcaster Doodrashan’s DTH service notwithstanding, it is going ahead with great gusto and marketing the service to subscribers.
“Some 200,000 (set-top) boxes have already been sold and we are targeting a million subscribers by the end of 2005,” Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma told indiantelevision.com today.
DD Direct Plus, as the KU-band service is known as, is, probably, a unique experiment undertaken by a media company. For the first two years or so, beyond a one-time investment of approximately Rs 2,500, a subscriber would have to pay nothing.
According to Sarma, the feedback from dealers of set-top boxes in recent times has been encouraging. Demand for the boxes for this free DTH service has increased with the addition of some private satellite channels.
Private sector TV channels that are being carried by DD Direct Plus include Zee Music, Smile TV and ETC Punjabi (from the Zee stable), Sun TV, Kairali TV, CNN, BBC, Star Utsav, Aaj Tak and Headlines Today, amongst the 30-odd channels being part of the service at the moment, according to Sarma.
“We are optimistic that we would be able to meet our target of one million subscribers by end 2005,” Sarma said, adding that the demand is building up because it’s a free service, unlike an existing service, Dish TV, which is 20 per cent owned by Zee Telefilms.
For example, in South India, the price of boxes were jacked up by dealers to about Rs. 3,500 as demand upped with the surfacing of South Indian language channels like Sun TV.
If Prasar Bharati’s assertions are to be taken on its face value, then DD Direct Plus has notched up more subscribers in about 75 days than what Dish TV has managed to do since its launch in October 2003. Dish TV’s claimed present subscriber base is approximately 160,000.
Though DD’s DTH service is primarily aimed at those places where cable or terrestrial TV’s penetration is low, it is banking heavily on the inclusion of private sector channels, especially the popular entertainment ones (like Star Plus, Sony, Sahara One and Zee TV) on the platform, which has not happened as of yet.
But DD is optimistic that a proposed initiative of the sector regulator would help it net most private sector channels on its DTH platform. At the moment, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is in the process of fine-tuning the interconnect regulations, which envisage a controversial clause on making available all TV channels to all types of platforms on a non-discriminatory basis.
Industry sources point out that this particular clause is designed to help DD more than anybody else as it would necessarily mean all pay channels also being made available to a free non-encrypted DTH service — a scenario that hasn’t gone down too well with pay broadcasters who have been lobbying hard against the clause likely to be finalized before the commencement of next session of Parliament that begins from first week of December.
However, industry sources also point out, DD has become the first defaulter of the must-provide clause being debated as part of the interconnect regulations by Trai. The moment DD bagged the telecast rights of some of the cricket matches played in India last month, it sent a missive to Dish TV asking it to discontinue showing DD channels telecasting cricket. Dish TV complied with DD’s request, but not before expressing to Trai its concern over this development.
There are over 900 dealers in 212 cities and towns attempting to push STBs for DD Direct Plus. A basic box for the costs approximately Rs 2,500 (slightly over $ 54) and can access all free to air channels without the help of any smart card.
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.
