DTH
Dish TV India’s ‘All in One Pack’ for Hindi heartland consumers
MUMBAI: Catering to the evolving needs of customers, Dish TV India Limited, world’s largest single-country DTH Company is set to galvanise the industry with its new acquisition offers for both its brands. Recently many popular entertainment channels were taken off from Free Dish, and these customers are in need for their daily dose of entertainment. To benefit these customers, ‘Bharat Cricket Combo’ on DishTV and ‘Value Combo’ on D2h are affordable new acquisition offers for cricket lovers at just INR 1,270 and 1,292 plus taxes for three months respectively. This has stirred up the entire market and led to doubling of new customer acquisitions and tripling of win-backs over last few days.
Under this offer, the company is offering ‘India Cricket Service’ on DishTV & ‘India Cricket’ on D2h, which is an add-on/service along with FTA channels and popular Hindi channels ranging from infotainment, drama, devotional, news, music and movies. India Cricket Service is an advance request based add-on/service, which telecasts all the three formats (ODI, T20 and Test matches) of Indian men’s cricket team matches. Furthermore, customers can opt for more add-ons and bouquet services as per their choices including Set Top Box and free installation only.
Commenting on the announcement, Mr. Anil Dua, Group CEO, Dish TV India Limited said, “In continuation of our efforts to provide maximum entertainment to the customers at affordable prices, we are delighted to announce very attractive offers on both our brands for cricket enthusiasts. The new offers are aimed at offering hassle-free cricket viewing experience along with mass entertainment and movie channels. We hope to acquire new customers specially from the rural markets and Hindi language speaking areas.”
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.
