DTH
Dish TV fortifies sports packaging for ICC Cricket World Cup
MUMBAI: Cricket fans are currently glued to their television sets as the ICC Cricket World Cup kicked off this past weekend. Service providers such as Airtel Digital TV, Videocon d2h, Tata Sky, Sun Direct and Dish TV too are celebrating the onset of the event.
While Tata Sky and Videocon d2h are pushing their 4K set top boxes, DTH operator Dish TV has decided to fortify its sports packaging to offer a maximum of 12 sports channels during the gala event.
When asked how the DTH platform planned ahead of the World Cup, Dish TV chief operating officer Salil Kapoor says, “We conducted a pan India consumer survey, which revealed that the millennial generation has tremendous interest in sports and that HD is the preferred choice for watching sports. The research also showed an interesting angle that usually in a family its only one person who is interested in sports, the rest are still focused on GEC, movies, music etc.”
Kapoor further says that keeping these insights in mind, the platform re-looked at its packaging. “First we decided to up the HD quotient and added maximum number of HD channels. We now have 39 HD channels. We even fortified our sports packaging, offering maximum sports channels (12) in India,” he informs.
When quizzed about his views on a few DTH platforms focussing on the launch of 4K, which has limited content, Kapoor opines that while 4K is definitively a superior technology, the content for this technology is minimal in India. According to him the sale of DTH HD boxes is directly proportional with the sale of LCD TVs, which constitutes around 65-70 per cent in India, whereas 4K TVs are far too expensive and marginal compared to LCDs.
“It will take some time for this technology to pick up in India and broadcasters to start producing content in 4K. Till then HD will dominate the content market. Understanding this, we introduced 39 HD channels, which are the highest in the country,” he says.
Talking about how the repackaging will help the platform, Kapoor says that they call it a “cricket plus approach,” which highlights something for everyone to enjoy in High Definition.
“The consumer has already taken notice of our enhanced services and the numbers have started ringing in. We will expand our new consumer base significantly. The marketing activities are planned to promote the HD edge that we have as a brand,” he concludes.
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.
