DTH
Dish TV Videocon Ltd. may start operations in Sept ’17
MUMBAI: With no roadblocks apprehended and approvals going ahead, the new merged direct-to-home (DTH) behemoth may start operations in September 2017. As reported by www.indiantelevision.com earlier, the new merged entity Dish TV Videocon Ltd. is set to create the single-largest DTH company in India.
The proposed transaction remained subject to approvals, including from the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the stock exchanges, shareholders and creditors of both companies, the Competition Commission of India, the High Court of Bombay and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The proposed transaction was expected to close in the second half of 2017.
Dish TV CMD Jawahar Goel has told Express that September was the tentative date for starting joint operations. Although, he said, August was doable, but they were sure to begin operations around September. Sources in Videocon d2h have also confirmed the launch’s anticipated timeline.
As reported by www.indiantelevision.com, CCI recently sought TRAI’s views on the proposed merger of Dish TV and Videocon d2h and as to whether or not the deal, leading to formation of Dish TV Videocon Ltd., will violate anti-trust laws.
Dish TV, owned by Zee Entertainment (ZEEL) and the DTH arm of Videocon Industries had in November last year announced their merger. Dish TV, as per the proposed terms, will own 55 per cent in the new entity, according to Livemint. A TRAI official confirmed that CCI has sought its views on the subject.
Goel had said that “the arrangement of the scheme is merger and we never envisaged a buyout.” The Board of directors of the two giants had earlier approved a scheme of arrangement for the amalgamation of Vd2h into Dish TV and the execution of definitive agreements in relation to such amalgamation.
Pursuant to the Scheme, it was earlier reported, Dish TV Videocon shall issue 857.791 million shares as consideration for the scheme and the Vd2h shareholders shall be allotted 2.021 new shares of Dish TV Videocon for every one share held in Vd2h (subject to certain adjustments as set out in the Scheme), which would result in Dish TV shareholders owning 1,066.861 million existing shares or 55.4% of Dish TV Videocon, and Vd2h shareholders owning 857.791 million new shares or 44.6% of Dish TV Videocon.
The fully diluted share count of Dish TV at 1,066,863,665 shares, which will lead to 857,785,766 shares of Dish TV Videocon being issued to Vd2h shareholders. Exchange ratio rounded off to two decimal places. One Vd2h ADS represents four equity shares of Vd2h.
The proposed transaction was expected to create a leading cable and satellite distribution platform in India. Dish TV Videocon would serve 27.6 million net subscribers in India, as of September 30, 2016, on a pro-forma basis, out of a total of 175 million TV households in India highlighting significant room for growth. The combined entity would have revenue of Rs. 59,158 million and EBITDA of Rs. 18,262 million on a pro-forma basis for the fiscal year ended 31 March 2016 positioning it as a leading media company in India. The proposed transaction is expected to provide better synergies and growth opportunities and enable Dish TV Videocon to provide differentiated and superior service to all customers through deeper after-sales, distribution and technology capabilities, and also become a more effective partner for TV content providers 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.
