DTH
First Indian Digital TV Honours on 28 Jan
MUMBAI: 2013 was a watershed year for the cable TV and DTH industry, what with the the entire TV industry – cable TV operators, MSOs, DTH players – working on going into overdrive, pushing the government’s digital addressable system (DAS – digitisation) mandate. There were big developments and even bigger initiatives, and it is with a view to recognising and rewarding such endeavours as well as the individuals and organisations behind them that Indiantelevision.com has instituted a first-of-its-kind initiative called ‘The Indian Digital TV Honours’, to be held on Tuesday 28 January at The Lalit, New Delhi.
The list of best practices and worthy winners has been compiled by an advisory board comprising senior executives, industry veterans and the indiantelevision.com editorial team led by founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari.
According to Media Partners Asia executive director and co-founder and member of the advisory board Vivek Couto, The Indian Digital TV Honours is a laudable effort as it will go a long way in encouraging individuals to accelerate the development of the industry. “That’s because it seeks to recognize the achievement, innovation and vision of the stakeholders,” he says.”
Media observer and consultant and member of the advisory board Sanjeev Hiremath adds: “It is an encouraging initiative by Indiantelevision.com. It is a way to both support and encourage the implementation of DAS. I am glad that a platform like this has been set up by the Indiantelevision team.”
BCCL president corporate development (and member of the advisory board) Sunil Lulla believes there was a need to acknowledge the manner in which television distribution is changing. “I am glad that there is another first from Indiantelevision.com. Acknowledgement is needed. Though the switch from analog to digital will take time, encouragement is needed.”
Chrome Data Analytics and Media founder and MD Pankaj Krishna joins his peers in lauding the effort. “I am sure pretty soon, others will follow it too. One must remember that digitisation is very critical to us now and with the change in wind, the transition from analog to digital is going to become crucial. In short, it is like the change from Kodak film roll which we used 10 years ago to a digicam, which has become a part of our lives now.”
So how did the advisory board select the winners? Says Wanvari: “We had detailed discussions with various stakeholders in the industry, to come up with a filtered list of top achievements to which the advisory members also contributed.”
Adds Lulla: “A list was given to us comprising names of people and companies that have made a difference to digitisation from various points of view like preparedness, initiatives taken, consumers, success etc. So, I looked at these from various perspectives like who made it simple for consumers, who followed the regulations, which company or person drove the change and so on…”
What were the criteria for selection? Couto anwers: “The criteria were simple. Any stakeholder or regulator who has ushered in development through investment, leadership or a combination of both to accelerate quality content and infrastructure for consumers will feature in the list.”
The entire selection process took almost a month for the advisory board. Hiremath, who identified categories to honour key initiatives, says: “This is going to be an exciting and interesting event.”
According to Hiremath and Couto, while the first edition will honour well-known names from the industry, the awards will only get bigger and better with time.
“We will see OTT players, software developers, app developers and many others entering the ecosystem in the future,” Couto rounds off.
The Event is:
Powered by Partner: Den
Associate Partners: Hathway, Surewaves, Videocon D2H
Support Partner: SES, The One Alliance
Media Partner: India News
Thanks to HBO Defined and HBO Hits for the support
Online Media Partners: Radioandmusic.com, Tellychakkar.com
Event Executed By: ITV2.0 Productions
An Initiative By: Indiantelevision.com
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.
