DTH
Dish TV offers SD channels at Rs 8.5 per month
MUMBAI: After an intense merger time with Videocon d2h, Dish TV is back with a new solution for its customers and this time it is offering SD channels at just Rs 8.5 a month. The DTH operator has even launched a 360-degree campaign to make people aware of it.
Entitled “Saadhey aath mein jeeto saare heart”, the campaign amplifies the benefit of having the choice of hand-picking channels based on customers entertainment needs and how that ultimately leads to keeping everyone at home happy.
The campaign, conceptualised by Enormous Brands, aims to connect both rationally and emotionally with customers who are managing delicate relationship balances at home. Aimed to reiterate Dish TV’s flexible and customisable entertainment packs and offerings, this campaign solidifies Dish TV’s position in the industry and showcases how its innovative offering of Rs 8.5 per channel per month is set to create a new benchmark in television entertainment.
In the form of a TVC, the campaign showcases how a young man is being felicitated for having achieved an impossible feat – that of keeping his mother and wife happy by getting their favourite channels added on Dish TV. This unique superpower is available to all its customers and gives them the ability to choose the entertainment of their choice at a minimal price of Rs 8.5 per SD channel per month on their base pack.
The seed of the idea came from the insight that today’s customers are often left wanting as most operators tie them down to a pre-bundled pack. Upgrading to a new pack becomes heavy on the pocket without the freedom to choose their favourite channel.
Dish TV group CEO Anil Dua says, “DishTV has always leveraged relevant customer insights to launch and communicate new innovative offerings to its subscribers. Our product “Mera Apna Pack” under the DishTV brand is aimed at offering value, affordability and customer empowerment. We have just launched its new campaign that is aimed at showcasing the benefit of providing customers with the choice of watching entertainment that they want.”
Dish TV corporate head of marketing Sukhpreet Singh adds, “With family TV viewing at the core of our business, our new ad campaign is here to win everyone’s heart with its creative jingle and quirky ad campaign tagline. To connect with customers, we will roll out the campaign on TV, print and digital platforms. Additionally, all our POS will have a dedicated space to showcase it.”
Enormous Brands managing partner Ashish Khazanchi mentions that the agency’s endeavour is to make the brand more inclusive and charming. With this campaign they wanted to bring this promise alive in the context of families in a fun and enjoyable way.
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.
