DTH
DTH growth prospects in Europe limited: report
MUMBAI: While in India Zee’s Direct To Home (DTH) platform Dish TV is adding customers everyday in Europe where the market is well developed the situation is different.
DTH growth is expected to be limited. This is partly because many European countries appear to have reached saturation point and also because competition will be fierce with nascent free-to-air Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) services.
Research organisation Research and Markets has come out with a report Digital Terrestrial TV: Prospects in the Enlarged European Union (EU).
Italy is expected to be the largest single DTT market in Europe by 2009, with nearly 13 million DTT households, followed by the UK and Germany.
The report reveals that the UK will remain the EU country with the highest overall level of digitalisation. However its forecast digitalisation rate by 2009 (86 per cent) will be some way short of the British government’s target for analogue switch-off (95 per cent).
Other countries expected strong digital growth over the period are Finland (85 per cent), Italy (83 per cent) and Spain (77 per cent). By contrast, Greece is expected to have digital penetration of less than 10 per cent by 2009.
The report went on to note that digitalisation of Europe’s cable networks will continue to be hindered by the high price differentials between analogue and digital subscriptions.
The report stated that DTT services had been introduced in seven EU countries by the end of last year. Meanwhile, Germany has become the first country in Europe to completely phase out analogue terrestrial services in a number of areas.
The most popular and thus far, in terms of subscriber growth most successful DTT product has utilised the free-to-air (FTA) model. The UK and more recently Finland and Italy have all experienced rapid growth in take-up. Around one million UK households switching to DTT in the fourth quarter of 2003 alone.
By contrast, DTT models incorporating pay TV have generally struggled. The most notable is ITV Digital in the UK. This is has been due to competition from other pay TV providers in their market. Indeed, the failure of ITV Digital has led to other European countries revising their plans. An increasing number seem set to base their plans around a substantial core of FTA services.
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.
