DTH
Dish Network adds 6 new Chinese channels to intl prog line-up
MUMBAI: EchoStar Communications Corporation recently announced that its Dish Network satellite television services had added ET News, ET Global, ET Drama, Yoyo TV, ET China, and JET TV International to its Chinese programming schedule in a complete package offering called the Chinese Super Pack.
The addition of this Chinese Super Pack, featuring six Mandarin-language channels provided by ETTV (a leading global Chinese-language media brand), continues Dish Network’s leadership role in broadcasting international programming and specifically Chinese broadcast television.
Dish Network offers more than 60 international channels in more than a dozen languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Cantonese, Hindi, Polish, Mandarin, Japanese and Russian.
EchoStar’s senior vice president of Programming Michael Schwimmer was quoted in an official release as saying, “Dish Network is committed to providing our international customers with the best value and the most choice when it comes to international programming. The Chinese Super Pack will give Dish Network’s Mandarin-language customers, the fastest growing Chinese-language group in the US, an even more extensive package offering of Chinese television, including immediate access to news, events and entertainment.”
ET News is a 24-hour news channel that features daily reports from the most comprehensive Chinese-language TV news network in the US. The news rotates throughout the day with successive one-hour editions of US news, World news, Asia news and Taiwan news.
ET Global is a general entertainment channel, tailor-made for the Chinese-American audiences with a wide variety of programming. The program lineup includes US news, a widely popular celebrity talk program, English-language learning series, made-for-TV dramas and more.
ET Drama is a channel devoted to Chinese made-for-TV dramas. The program mix includes great love-stories, outstanding dramatic productions from the broader Asian region, as well as fantastic classic drama series.
Yoyo TV is the only 24-hour channel available in the US exclusively devoted to children up to seven years of age. Yoyo TV features 1,000 hours of world-renowned educational cartoons from all over the world.
ET China features the best of programs produced by major provincial TV stations in China such as Shandong, Jiangsu and Chongqing. The lineup includes drama and variety shows, as well as cultural and travel programs.
Jet TV International is a Japanese channel with Chinese subtitles. It marks the profound interest in and influence of Japanese fashion, scenic spots, customs and culture. It offers travelogues, culinary expeditions, urban dramas and much more.
The Chinese Super Pack is now available in addition to the Chinese Plus Pack, which features three Mandarin and Cantonese-language channels with content from Hong Kong, China and Taiwan. The Chinese Super Pack is available to subscribers at $21.99 per month, or $241.89 annually, informed the release.
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.
