DTH
Dish TV India, Tata Elxsi collaborate to launch ‘Orbit’
MUMBAI: Dish TV India has collaborated with Tata Elxsi to roll-out ‘Orbit’, its new user interface (UI) for SMRT & Magic range of connected products for both its brands DishTV & d2h. The plan has been executed for consumers to have seamless TV and online viewing experience. Orbit is packed with an array of exciting features addressing best of aggregated content from various traditional and online sources available on the platform.
With a simple yet exceptional UI design, Orbit is developed to create a balance between entertainment and information by providing smooth integration of Live TV, OTT, and other value-added services. DishTV India collaborated with Tata Elxsi for doing the user experience (UX) enhancements for its connected devices. Thorough consumer research, interaction modelling, multiple rounds of UI design testing was conducted to provide a simple, attractive and engaging interface, resulting in efficient and all-rounder user experience. The new interface will leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to make it easier to find content on TV where users are restricted to traditional remotes.
Dish TV India Ltd executive director & group chief executed officer Anil Dua said, “With the broadcast industry adopting technology at such a rapid pace, consumers today are more empowered and better informed than ever before. They expect high performance and top end innovation along with aggregated content. At Dish TV India, we are continuously customizing our offering based on the needs of the customer, we are delighted to launch Orbit in association with Tata Elxsi, with functionalities such us search, navigation and browsing, so that a large base of our audience has an even more engaging hybrid experience on our service. With this, we hope to continue to remain the most preferred choice for consumers.”
“Consumers have entrenched habits associated with TV viewing but there is a need for a better and more intuitive experience for navigation and consumption in this new age of digital products. Tata Elxsi has decades of experience in this space, both in design and in technology creation. Working closely with our development engineers, we were able to create a completely new, yet intuitive UI for our users. This not only created a robust product performance but also created a visual identity and a branded experience for our client Dish TV India Ltd,” said Tata Elxsi chief designer Narendra Ghate.
The new UI will provide users an access to the featured content and simultaneously to all the new and trending content available on different OTT apps with deep-linking support. A dedicated ‘my zone’ section is designed to quickly access items pinned by user along with recommendations personalized basis one’s preferences. The refreshed look is now live for Dish SMRT and d2h Magic range of products and would soon be rolled out on recently launched android set-top box Dish SMRT hub.
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.
