DTH
Dish TV & Shemaroo get religious; launch Bhakti Active
MUMBAI: After launching a special Gujarati VOD pack, both the Jawahar Goel – headed Dish TV India, Asia’s largest DTH brand, and Shemaroo Entertainment are back once again in yet another move to expand the operator’s gradient of value added services (VAS) with the launch a new premium service called “Bhakti Active.”
The Bhakti Active service will cater to the needs of consumers and viewers who enjoy mythological and religious content. It will air live aartis, bhajans, shlokas and documentaries throughout the day. The respective programmes on the Bhakti Active service will be lined up based upon the Hindu calendar and festivals.
Bhakti Active is a premium religious ad free subscription based service and is being launched for trials and previewing till 31 August, following which it will carry a price tag of Rs 30 a month.
This religious service will be available on channel number 755 on DishTV & Zing. Customers can easily activate this service by giving a missed call on 18002700371.
Speaking on the launch, Arun Kumar Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer, DishTV said: ““Being a pioneer and a market leader in the DTH industry, DishTV stands for quality and commitment. It has always lived up to its promise of providing maximum width and depth of content to its consumers. We have always taken the lead in enhancing the value proposition and provide the best in entertainment to our subscribers. We are happy to announce our partnership with Shemaroo to launch the Bhakti Active Service on our platform. This move reiterates our commitment to augment the TV viewing experience for our viewers.”
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.
