I&B Ministry
FM Phase III: Govt gets Rs 263.97 crore as bid deposit post auction
NEW DELHI: A total amount of Rs 263.97 crore has been received by the Government as bid deposits from successful bidders of e-auction of the first batch of private FM radio Phase III channels.
This is 25 per cent of the successful bid amount for a channel defined as bid deposit in the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) of 2 March.
Under the stipulated payment methodology by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, successful bidders had to pay the bid deposits for winning channels within five calendar days of notification of auction results.
The Ministry had notified 14 successful bidders for 91 channels in 54 cities of the first batch on 16 September.
Successful bidders will now have to pay the balance amount within 15 calendar days of the notification by 1 October.
On receipt of full successful bid amount – Non-refundable One Time Entry Fee (NOTEF) – within the prescribed time, the Ministry will issue Letter of Intent to the bidders to enable them to complete further formalities.
The e-auction of the first batch of FM phase III comprising 135 channels in 69 cities had commenced on 27 July and concluded after 33 days of bidding on 9 September.
The Ministry had said while announcing the results of 91 channels in 54 cities that they do not include the results of the bids by Sun TV, South Asia FM and Kal Radio in compliance with the orders of the Madras High Court.
It also said the Centre had decided to file a special leave to appeal in the Supreme Court against the order of 26 July of the Delhi High Court of Delhi in the petitions by Digital Radio (Mumbai) Broadcasting Ltd. & Digital Radio (Delhi) Broadcasting Ltd. respectively.
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati sets EPG standards for DD Free Dish platform
New specs define 7-day guide, LCN mapping, and device compatibility.
MUMBAI: Your TV guide just got a backstage pass structured, scheduled, and far more in sync. Prasar Bharati has released detailed technical specifications for Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services on DD Free Dish, laying down a standardised framework for how channels and programme information are organised and delivered. At the core of the update is a defined EPG data structure, covering genre-based categorisation, scheduling formats, and Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). The aim is simple: make navigation less guesswork and more guided experience across the platform’s over 40 million households.
The specifications also introduce a seven-day programme guide window for each channel, alongside clear rules for channel grouping and LCN mapping effectively deciding not just what you watch, but how easily you find it.
On the technical front, the document outlines requirements for Program Specific Information (PSI) and Service Information (SI), including descriptor usage across tables such as PAT, BAT and NIT. It further details service lists and network linkage parameters, giving OEMs and developers a clearer blueprint for integration.
Importantly, the framework is designed to work seamlessly with television sets equipped with in-built satellite tuners, enabling users to access DD Free Dish directly without additional hardware, an incremental but meaningful step towards simplifying access.
The platform will continue to operate on GSAT-15 transponders, using MPEG-4 compression and DVB-S2 transmission standards, ensuring continuity even as the interface evolves.
While largely technical, the move signals a broader push towards standardisation and user-friendly discovery in India’s free-to-air ecosystem because sometimes, the real upgrade isn’t what’s on screen, but how easily you get there.
