DTH
Dish TV aims to launch OTT service, hybrid box this quarter
MUMBAI: It may be the oldest player but it's mind is as young as you can imagine. With The JioGigaFiber launch, cable and DTH operators are moderating their offerings, distribution strategy as much as possible. Dish TV, the largest DTH player in India is about to offer OTT service and Hybrid box soon. The new OTT offering will be a fair mix of linear TV channels, catch up content along with original content.
“The consumer will have the best of both the worlds getting connected with the Hybrid box and the DTH platform at the same time keeping the cost low and giving excellent value for money,” Dish TV group CEO Anil Dua said in an earnings call after posting Q2 results. He is also optimistic that these innovations will ensure that existing customers are not looking beyond Dish TV.
Dua also said the company is planning to launch the offerings in this quarter only. After the beta phase which is starting soon, it will get into a quick national launch. While he was questioned if it will tie-up with any OTT player for the launch, he made it clear that Dish TV will not be playing as an aggregator. There may be an app-in-app integration later.
“It is around Rs 35 crore on the CAPEX and networking equipment by startup cost and other cost still launched and thereafter it will be very marginal cost purchase of small content items which will be reflected in the content cost,” Dish TV CFO Rajeev Dalmia commented on the expenditure for the OTT Platform.
Although Dish TV has certain plans for partnering with broadband players, till now it has not revealed much. On the other hand, Jio is already getting ready for its bundled service of cable, internet, VoIP especially after the acquisition of stakes in Hathway and Den Networks. There are high chances that customers will tend to pay for a consolidated bill over having three different services.
This has been seen as a tough challenge for DTH players. However, Dua feels it is good for cable and broadband industry. As ARPUs have been low in respective industries, the new development may pave the way for higher ARPUs helping the entire pay-TV space. “In terms of the competitive price offering etc., in short-term, there could be prices which are lower but I think this company has been observed to match that but in long-term the prices have to rise,” he added further.
On the question ofsubsidising OTT or Hybrid boxes, Dish TV is looking at all opportunities that OTT presents. “We will definitely use it as a tool for our existing subscriber so that they don’t kind of look here and there, they have everything available with their Dish TV brand on their platform, but certainly we believe that we are making a good product and it can become an attraction tool as well,” Dua commented.
Dish TV chairman and managing director Jawahar Goel mentioned 4 million boxes are already in the market which are Hybrid-ready. The plan is to convert those into connected boxes in this quarter. Hence, hybridisation of existing boxes is also going to be another opportunity to build the business as well as a new subsidy.
As the parent company has an OTT platform which is gaining more users, the question arises about the justification of another platform from the group.
“Our OTT is meant for more from point of view for subscriber, so we are looking at typically short form kind of content which is different from what the other OTT players are looking at. So we feel that these are absolutely tailor-made for our respective audiences,” Dalmia said.
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.
