DTH
Dish TV partners MediaKind to upgrade infrastructure
MUMBAI: DTH company Dish TV India, in partnership with MediaKind, has strengthened its infrastructure capabilities to enhance the customer TV viewing experience in India. Dish TV has upgraded and expanded its entire DTH platform to MediaKind’s AVP 4000 video processing platform to deliver enhanced, next-generation immersive experience to its 23.5 million subscribers in the country. The new platform will also assist in delivering cost efficiencies through better bandwidth utilisation.
With this, DishTV will operate MediaKind’s award-winning compression headend technology, which will enable the company to evolve and adapt to both traditional broadcast and multiscreen service delivery from a single platform. The platform, which includes MediaKind’s AVP 4000 System Encoder, allows DishTV to serve satellite operations for both of its brands and caters to the evolving needs of its subscribers.
Commenting on the announcement, DishTV India Ltd group CEO Anil Dua said, “As the leading DTH provider in India, we are always looking for new ways to deliver high quality viewing experience to our millions of customers. We are delighted to strengthen our longstanding partnership with MediaKind and leverage its compression technology heritage which extends more than 25 years. Through the deployment of MediaKind’s AVP technology, we can provide the highest video quality for our consumers alongside greater bandwidth efficiencies, thus enabling us to cost-effectively deliver the next-generation services to our subscribers.”
Speaking on this, MediaKind CEO Angel Ruiz said, “The media landscape is constantly shifting and service providers need to continually adapt to deliver the highest quality media experiences for consumers. At the same time, the increased competition from pure-play online providers means it’s necessary to do this as cost-effectively as possible. We are delighted to extend our relationship with DishTV and to continue evolving its service offering in one of the world’s largest video markets. Through the deployment of our state-of-the-art AVP 4000 system, DishTV will benefit from significant cost efficiencies and have the opportunity to launch new and highly compelling viewing experiences.”
This latest deployment will enhance DishTV’s operational efficiency by unifying the control and management of its two headends in an orchestrated manner. This will also allow DishTV to increase its satellite bandwidth efficiency and deliver superior picture quality to its subscribers, thus fulfilling the rising consumer demand for high quality media content choice.
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.
