DTH
DishTV launches Anandam Active to showcase Ravishankar’s teachings
MUMBAI: Direct to Home (DTH) operator DishTV has launched Anandam Active at the Art of Living headquarters on 14 May, 2015. The service will showcase teachings of the spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar.
This service will be available to subscribers for a monthly fee of Rs 59. Anandam Active will be available across cities, semi urban and rural areas of India.
Anandam Active will have harmony of spirituality, health, culture, social concerns, mythology, science, and education. This service will also have capsules of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at regular intervals, spreading the word of hope and faith.
Sri Sri Ravishankar said, “I am extremely happy at the launch of Anandam Active service only on Asia’s largest DTH player, DishTV. This service has made it possible for millions of people who due to their hectic lifestyles cannot attend live discourses in my Ashram to now listen and learn The Art of Living, even at the remotest part of the country. Together, we hope to make world a better place to live.My blessings are with everyone who is a part of this initiative.”
DishTV chief operating officer Salil Kapoor added, “We are delighted to be partners in this noble initiative. It has been our constant endeavor to make television viewing a wholesome experience for the entire family. We have always believed in offering unique content to our subscribers. With the launch of Anandam Active, we are continuing with our legacy of offering another unique service for our consumers who are spirituality inclined and will have this great opportunity to enjoy Sri Sri’s teachings in the close comfort of their homes.”
Talking about the initiative the content provider for the Anandam Active, Amazing India Television chief executive officer Ajay Kumar asserted, “Anandam Active is launched on the auspicious occasion of Guru Ji’s birthday. The key message of Art of Living is to celebrate life and spread happiness. Anandam Active echoes the same mission and hopes to achieve a positive behavioral change within the masses, who will consume this content. Sri Sri’s teachings on Anandam Active will remove the hindrance of the physical distances with the people at large and will enable us to interact with a much larger audience to share our thoughts and ideology. We firmly believe that DishTV, Asia’s largest direct to home entertainment company shall prove to be a priceless partner in this endeavor.”
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.
