DTH
Dish TV seeks shareholder nod to borrow up to Rs 3000 crore
MUMBAI: Dish TV India has called on its shareholders to participate in a postal ballot to decide a few key decisions which will help it rev up its business going forward. The ballot that will take place between 8 August and 6 September firstly seeks permission from its shareholders to authorise the board of directors (BOD) to borrow up to Rs 3000 crore over and above the company’s paid up share capital and free reserves.
Secondly, it seeks to authorise the BOD to create a charge/mortgage on its assets that will aid the borrowings. However, it says it will take care to keep the loan amounts well within the maximum borrowing limits, including all taxes. In an earlier meeting, the BOD had approved of the plan and it is now seeking Dish TV shareholders’ nod for the same.
Additionally, it has sought their go-ahead to allow it to invite companies and individuals to subscribe to its non-convertible debentures (NCDs) through the private placement route. If the resolution is passed – which is quite likely – it will allow Dish TV India to make offers within one year seeking subscription for secured and/or unsecured, redeemable NCDs in one or more series/tranches/currencies to persons such as FIIs, mutual funds, banks, body corporate, persons etc. These can be either Indian or foreign and the condition is that no single tranche will be more than Rs 500 crore and will be well within the boundary of the borrowing limit.
Dish TV has informed shareholders that the BOD could take recourse to various instruments such as equity, project loans, corporate loans, bank and financial institutional loans or debentures to raise funds going forward. A right mix of all of these would help it get funding at an optimum cost. Subject to member approval, the board says it is evaluating the process of raising money through non convertible debentures on private placement basis.
The last resolution – if pased – will authorise the BOD to make investments/give any loan or guarantee /provide security to any of Dish TV India’s subsidiary/associate companies to the tune of Rs 500 crore. This could be done from time to time and in tranches. The investments, guarantees and securities are aimed to bring about optimum utilisation of the company’s funds and achieve long term strategic and business objectives, the Dish TV postal ballot notice to the Bombay stock exchange says.
The aggregate of the investments that it will make along with the securities that it may provide to a loan taken by a subsidiary/associate company, guarantees and the proposed investments can be more than 60 per cent of the paid up share capital and free reserves and securities premium account or 100 per cent of its free reserves and securities premium account, whichever may be higher.
“Your company has embarked upon a growth path and is constantly reviewing opportunities for expansion of its business operations,” says a note to Dish TV shareholders.
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.
