DTH
Harit Nagpal’s second literary act: why binary thinking is killing your career
MUMBAI: Harit Nagpal isn’t interested in either/or. The chief executive of Tata Play—India’s largest content distribution platform—has spent four decades navigating cosmetics, cooking oils, colas, clothing, communication and content, and he’s learnt something valuable: the best decisions rarely come from choosing between the options you’re given. They come from inventing the one you weren’t.
His new book, Pivot: Between Two Options, Pick the Third, published by Westland Business, launched on Amazon on 24 November 2025 at Rs 499 (currently discounted 23 per cent to Rs 383). It’s a 164-page distillation of that philosophy, wrapped around the story of Neel, an ordinary middle-class boy whose life becomes a case study in counterintuitive decision-making.
The premise is deceptively simple. When you’re stuck between two choices—whether it’s picking an academic stream, staying in a comfortable job or leaping into uncertainty, handling workplace stress or navigating personal crises—conventional wisdom says weigh the pros and cons and choose. Nagpal says that’s precisely when you should stop, step back, and ask: “So?” That tiny, disruptive question, he argues, can crack open possibilities that binary thinking obscures.
This is Nagpal’s second book. His debut writing effort, Adapt: To thrive, not just survive, established him as a corporate leader willing to put management philosophy into readable prose. And it got him the credentials of a best selling author. Both books are now available as a bundle on Amazon for Rs 739, which positions them as a one-two punch for anyone trying to navigate career and life without succumbing to false choices.
The book doesn’t promise easy answers. What it offers instead is something rarer: the questions for deeper reflection and the space to think through responses that aren’t pre-packaged. In an age of algorithmic recommendations and decision-making outsourced to apps, that might be the most counterintuitive choice of all.
Nagpal’s four-decade career suggests he’s practised what he’s preaching. Moving from consumer goods to media and technology requires exactly the kind of lateral thinking his book champions. Whether Pivot helps readers replicate that trajectory remains to be seen. But in a world increasingly hostile to nuance, a 164-page argument for third options feels quietly radical.
DTH
Free Dish serves fresh slots as Prasar Bharati rings in e Auction 97
MPEG 4 slots for 2026–27 open with bids from March 16 and applications due March 9.
MUMBAI- When the Free Dish menu changes, broadcasters sharpen their forks. Prasar Bharati has formally opened applications for vacant MPEG-4 slots on its DD Free Dish direct to home platform, setting the stage for the 97th e-auction, scheduled to begin on March 16, 2026. The allotment will cover the broadcast period from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, continuing the public broadcaster’s annual auction cycle.
The notice, issued on February 9, 2026, lays out a familiar but finely sliced structure, with channels grouped into genre and language based “buckets”, each carrying its own reserve price and bidding dynamics. The aim is simple: widen content choice on DD Free Dish while keeping the playing field regulated and competitive.
At the premium end of the table, HD channels (Bucket H) will open with a reserve price of Rs 80 lakh, with bid increments of Rs 1 lakh.
Regional language channels are split across multiple rounds. Bucket R1, covering South Indian languages, and Bucket R2, which includes Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali, will both start at Rs 5 lakh in round one, moving up to Rs 15 lakh in the second round.
News and current affairs channels under Bucket G1 will begin at Rs 30 lakh, escalating to Rs 50 lakh in the next round, while the General Open round (GO) meant to mop up unfilled slots across categories carries a reserve price of Rs 70 lakh.
Eligibility remains tightly controlled. Participation is limited to satellite television channels licensed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, with international public broadcasters holding valid MIB licences also allowed to bid. Prasar Bharati has also reiterated strict content compliance norms, making genre and language declarations more than just paperwork.
To qualify as “predominant”, at least 75 percent of non advertising content must align with the declared genre and language. In overall terms, this means such content cannot fall below 60 percent of a channel’s total monthly telecast. Complaints will trigger a review by a designated committee, and persistent violations could result in the channel being taken off the platform.
Applications must be submitted online via the Prasar Bharati portal by 9 March, 2026, at 15:00 hours. Broadcasters will need to pay a non refundable processing fee of Rs 25,000 and a participation fee of Rs 3 lakh, along with submitting mandatory documents such as MIB permissions, channel logos and proof of carriage on other DTH or MSO platforms.
Successful bidders will be required to stick to a strict payment calendar. Delays will attract interest at 14.5 percent per annum, and repeated defaults could lead to forfeiture of the participation fee and removal from DD Free Dish.
As India’s only free to air DTH platform with massive reach, DD Free Dish continues to be a crucial gateway, especially in regional markets. With e-Auction 97, Prasar Bharati is once again reshuffling the platter and the industry is watching closely to see who gets served next.
