DTH
Dish TV launches Zing brand for regional markets; to also launch Dish Box Office
KOLKATA: Direct-to-home TV services provider Dish TV has embarked on a content strategy that differentiates its services from competitors.
Dish TV today launched a brand called Zing for targeting regional markets where Phase III and Phase IV digitisation has opened up significant opportunity.
The DTH TV provider would also soon launch Dish Box Office, an expanded movie-on-demand service.
Starting with West Bengal, the DTH TV provider will start offering Zing in Odisha later this week and subsequently extend it to Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Zing is part of Dish TV’s strategy to search for newer ways of reaching out to specific viewers and engaging with them through relatable content. With Zing, a customer in West Bengal will be able to choose from a number of packs which will include all available Bangla channels.
The Zing packages are priced at Rs 175, Rs 249 and Rs 349. The company plans to spend Rs 7 crore on a 360 degree brand awareness and marketing campaign.
“With more than 10 to 12 million analogue television homes in West Bengal to be digitised in phase III and IV, we would like to grow our business here,” said Dish TV CEO R C Venkateish.
“Besides the content, all above-the-line (ATL) and below-the-line (BTL) advertising, packaging and other marketing activities will be available in Bangla,” said Dish TV India COO Salil Kapoor.
As part of Dish Box Office, Dish TV would offer half-a-dozen movies through the day instead of just one movie on demand now. “As the reach of this offering is comparable to any movie channel, we hope to reach at least 50 per cent of our active subscriber base,” Kapoor said.
Talking about phase 1 digitisation in Kolkata, Kapoor said DTH has a market share of around 30 per cent, of which Dish TV’s share of around 28 per cent. Dish TV has a subscriber base of around 11.8 million 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.
