DTH
Dish TV India Limited Partners with HANDAN & ALi Corporation to launch hybrid solution to realize next-generation tv experience
MUMBAI: ALi Corporation, a leading Set-Top Box (STB) chipset provider, Dish TV India Limited, India’s largest Direct-to-Home (DTH) operator, and HANDAN, the leading supplier of multimedia and home entertainment devices in Korea, proudly announced that they have further extended their partnership by launching the latest hybrid solution, “Dish Box” to enrich TV experience for subscribers in India. The new set-top box developed by the partnership will be highly connected to enable OTT (over-the-top) viewing entertainment.
Dish TV India Limited, being the leader in DTH service and TV distribution in India, is expanding its OTT offerings by introducing Dish Connected Box to allow subscribers to enjoy both DVB TV broadcasting and OTT contents.
ALi Corp.’s secure value SoC (system on chip) was chosen due to its wide compliance with mainstream CAS (conditional access system) security features, ideal for DVB-S2 Pay TV applications. In this joint collaboration, the secure SoC was adopted as the core of the Dish Connected Box to integrate OTT Apps, developed by Handan. The integration of hardware, software and middleware will enable subscribers to view both OTT apps and DVB-broadcasted contents.
“Set-top boxes must be able to consume multimedia contents, like TV, videos, and even radio programs broadcasted through Internet protocol. This is the trend that TV set-top boxes must be connected”, said Daniel Huang, CEO of ALi Corp. “We foresee the future that set-top boxes shall consume streamed contents over various streaming protocols. Thus, we are pleased that Dish TV India Limited partners with us to develop the hybrid solutions integrating WiFi connectivity and Google Widevine DRM. In fact, our SoC packs multiple features which can shorten the development time and accelerate the time-to-market process”.
“As always, ALi Corp. has been a highly trusted and dedicated partner for us”, said V.K. Gupta, COO of Dish TV India Limited. “We are confident that our Connected Box will change the way multimedia contents are consumed. In fact, we will work with ALi to further enrich the Connected Box through further hardware-software integration, for it to go cloud”.
“Handan is glad to take part in the joint partnership to develop the latest hybrid Connected Box. This time, we are pleased to implement OTT Apps so that subscribers will be able to view both DVB and OTT contents,” said Y. Lee, CEO of HANDAN. “We will continue our dedication to work with ALi Corp. and Dish TV India Limited to expand market penetration in India”.
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.
