DTH
Dish TV India partners with HoichoI, introduces Bengali viewing content on both its platforms
KOLKATA: Expanding its content library to enthrall its customers, Dish TV India Limited, India’s leading DTH Company has announced its partnership with Hoichoi, a leading Bengali on-demand video and music-streaming platform that streams content worldwide. With this strategic association with Hoichoi, Dish TV India has further strengthened its portfolio by adding one more app in the app zone on its Android-based connected devices, namely Dish SMRT Hub and D2H stream for its DishTV and D2H users respectively. Users will now be able to stream an exciting slate of popular and exclusive Bengali language content, Hoichoi Originals, TV shows, Music Videos and Movies. DishTV and D2H already offer the most popular apps including its streaming app ‘Watcho’.
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The new addition on Dish SMRT Hub and D2H stream, hoichoi, boasts deep diverse catalogue with over 2000+ hours of viewing content, which includes popular Original Series like Hello Seasons 1 & 2, Byomkesh all five seasons, Shobdo Jobdo, Montu Pilot, Rahasya Romancha Series 2, Bonyo Premer Golpo, the recently streamed Tansener Tanpura among others; Classics of Satyajit Ray, Uttam Kumar-Suchitra Sen, Ritwik Ghatak; Blockbuster Films like Gumnaami, Dwitiyo Purush, Konttho, National Award-winning films like Kedara, Nagarkirtan and many more. Delivering best in class content across genres, the application will cater to the different content expectations of the customers and will keep them enthralled.
Speaking about the association, Dish TV India Limited executive director and group CEO Anil Dua said, “At a time when everyone is spending more time with their television sets, we want to ensure that people get to enjoy a whole range of entertainment shows and movies together with their families. Catering to the growing audience appetite for entertainment in their native language, we are delighted to collaborate with Hoichoi to offer premium viewing content for our Bengali customers on both our DishTV and D2H platforms. We will continue to enhance the content offering on our hybrid set up box through more such partnerships.”
On this partnership, Hoichoi co-founder Vishnu Mohta commented, “In such unprecedented times, we should do our bit to encourage our audiences to stay at home. With the increased demand of watching content, be it movies or series, this promising partnership with Dish TV India will help us cater and reach out to a larger audience base. Our consumers will now be able to view their content of choice from the vast library of Hoichoi, on both the popular DishTV and D2H platforms.”
In addition to Hoichoi, the Android box offers a host of features including built-in Google Assistant, Chromecast, Google Play and access to all popular featured OTT platforms like YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Zee5, Watcho, Voot, ALTBalaji and many more. Coupled with the ease of using voice commands via Google Assistant, the Android-based set-top box is compatible with any television set. ‘Dish SMRT Hub’ and ‘D2H stream’ are internet-enabled Android-based HD Set Top Box, available at Rs 3,999 for new subscribers and Rs 2,499 for existing subscribers.
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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.
