DTH
Dish TV’s Jawahar Goel says cable bills won’t increase in new TRAI tariff regime
MUMBAI: Managing director of Dish TV Jawahar Goel, on Wednesday, allayed fears of consumers, saying there was no question of cable and DTH prices increasing due to the TRAI tariff order. According to him, there has been a reduction in the bills of consumers who have moved to the new regime.
“There have been rumours that cable bills will go up by 5-6 times. There is absolutely no truth to this. Bills of those subscribers (Dish TV or other DPOs) that have migrated to the new regime have in fact reduced. If you drop channels that you don’t watch, then your bill will further reduce. There is no question of bills increasing,” he stated.
Goel drew a parallel with the telecom business to suggest that a radical change of this nature is bound to benefit the consumers.
“Earlier in the telecom business, call rate was Rs 16 per minute. Today it isn’t even 10 paisa per minute. In the new tariff regime, you will only pay for channels you opt for,” he said.
The Dish TV promoter also hit out at those spreading rumours with regards to the new tariff order.
“Consumers should not fall for rumours and speculation. Those who feel threatened due to the new regulation are the ones fuelling these rumours and trying to mislead the consumers,” Goel highlighted.
On Tuesday, Dish TV reported profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 152.69 crore for the quarter ended 31 December 2018 (Q3 2019, quarter under review) as compared to loss of Rs 168.29 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter and a profit of Rs 19.73 crore in the immediate trailing quarter Q2 2109. These PAT numbers were boosted by certain income tax adjustments of prior years.
Dish TV and Videocon d2h were merged on March 22 2018 and hence Q1 2019 was the first full reporting quarter for the merged entity.
Subscription revenue declined 2.1 percent q-o-q in Q3 2018 to Rs 141.26 crore as compared to Rs 1,453.6 crore in Q3 2018. Advertisement revenue for the quarter under review increased 26.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 30 crore from Rs 23.8 crore.
“I am glad that all opposition to the tariff order has now finally been put to rest. We continue to strongly believe that the regulation should minimise discriminatory pricing by ensuring a level playing field between cable and DTH platforms and should be beneficial for the entire industry thus leading to higher earnings going forward,” Goel said.
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.
