DTH
DishTV launches Kids Active in partnership with Shemaroo
MUMBAI: Value added services has been a focus area, a clear differentiator and an integral part of our offering. By not leaving any stone unturned in order to provide a wide range of content and services to its subscribers, DishTV Asia’s largest DTH brand has partnered with Shemaroo, one of India’s leading entertainment content houses that provides learning and entertainment to launch a new premium service called Kids Active and enhanced its bouquet of value added services to 10.
With the launch of Kids Active service, the DTH category’s most trusted brand has doubled their active services since last six months. Kids Active offers original content ranging from exciting stories, movies, songs, scientific experiment series and many more shows.
Kids Active is packaged 24X7, ad free infotainment service for kids in the age group of 6-12 years. With the activation of the service, subscribers get an opportunity to view Tales of Akbar & Birbal in English, animation songs, jungle tales, children’s movies and show promos, Grandpas treasure of wonderful stories and fun learning with scientific experiments.
DishTV CEO said, “We are delighted to announce our specialty offering targeted at the youngest generation. Kids segment is an area which is constantly in focus for us. Launch of Kids Active service is yet another step for us to enhance our value added services portfolio and cater to a wider set of audience.”
Kids Active is a premium ad free subscription based service targeted at enhancing the TV viewing of DishTV’s young subscribers. This service will be available as a free preview till the 24 October, after which a nominal amount of Rs 25 per month will be charged. This Kids Active service will be available on channel number 514 on DishTV.
Dish TV is Asia Pacific’s largest direct-to-home (DTH) company and part of one of India’s biggest media conglomerate – the ‘Zee’ Group. Dish TV has on its platform more than 575 channels & services including 22 audio channels and over 55 HD channels & services. Dish TV uses the NSS-6 satellite platform which is unique in the Indian subcontinent owing to its automated power control and contoured beam which makes it suitable for use in ITU K and N rain zones ideally suited for India’s tropical climate. The company also has transponders on the Asiasat 5 platform and on the SES-8 platform which makes its total bandwidth capacity equal to 828 MHZ, the largest held by any DTH player in the country.
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.
