DTH
Dish TV slates two exclusive soccer channels
NEW DELHI: Dish TV, India’s first Direct-to-Home (DTH) service, has given football lovers in India cause to celebrate as it has added two ‘lifestyle football’ channels, Goal TV 1 and Goal TV 2, to its bouquet.
The deal relating to Goal TV, a dedicated football platform offering Asian audiences coverage of top European soccer, is for distribution in India.
Football fans in India can now watch the two channels dedicated to the sport, 24 hours a day. With the addition, the total strength of television channels offered by Dish TV has gone up to 112, an official statement of Dish TV stated today.
Goal TV 1 showcases Manchester United, Arsenal and the Live Scottish Premier League, Goal TV 2 brings Chelsea, Liverpool, Live Dutch, Live French and the UEFA Champions League of the four clubs to the viewers. The comprehensive coverage includes live soccer from three major European leagues as well as behind-the-scenes access to England’s Big Four clubs: Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.
Dish TV CEO Sunil Khanna was quoted in the statement saying, “This one is especially for the thousands of football dedicated fans in our country. For the people who are passionate about the game, Goal TV is the right destination. As our tag-line goes, DishTV is all about enjoying your passion. With this addition, we have taken another step towards providing quality and niche entertainment in the country.”
The subscription prices for the channels, offered on the ? la carte platform, will be announced soon.
According to Goal TV CEO Thomas Kressner, “It was a natural association between the two: DishTV is all about being passionate about your interests, and Goal TV is dedicated to passionate football fans. Given the popularity of football in Asia and the fact that we provide dedicated club programming, as well as all the season’s big matches, Goal TV channels are catering to millions of dedicated fans in the continent and can be seen in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Shanghai and Macau.”
Goal TV, according to the statement, delivers over 65 per cent original content; 200 hours every week.
DishTV is India’s first DTH service and allows consumers access to a variety of digital television channels directly from the satellite. Dish TV is an Essel Group venture.
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.
