DTH
IndiaCast UTV vs DishTV: Who really won?
MUMBAI: It’s a battle that has both warring parties claiming victory. We are referring to the IndiaCast UTV Disney vs Dish TV scrap wherein each has been taking potshots at each other on an ‘on-request channel’ scheme that the platform has been running which involves the aggregators’ channels.
Both petitioned the Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) for a resolution and judgment.
The matter was heard by the TDSAT today. IndiaCast’s pleas were:
*Declare that the ‘on request’ categorisations of IndiaCast UTV channels in its current form be declared null and void.
* Declare that the payment of monthly licence fees by DishTV be done in terms of TRAI regulations.
* Declare that the scrolls/crawls being run by DishTV on IndiaCast UTV is (sic.) absolutely illegal.
*Permanently restrain Dish TV from running any scroll in any manner whatsoever.
*Pass an ad interim ex-parte order directing Dish TV to pay licence fees to IndiaCast UTV on the basis of the number of subscribers of packages in which the aggregators channels are placed.
* Pass an ad interim order restraining Dish TV from, in any manner whatsoever switching off or blacking out the aggregator’s channels to subscribers, subscribing to the package in which the IndiaCast UTV channels exist.
DishTV’s plea was:
* IndiaCast UTV be restrained from issuing false, frivolous, and baseless alert notices to the subscribers of DishTV.
*Declare the alert notice issued by IndiaCast UTV as illegal, malafide and defamatory.
* Direct IndiaCast UTV to issue an unconditional and unqualified apology for publishing the wrong false and misleading alert notices to subscribers of DishTV.
* Direct IndiaCast UTV to issue a corrigendum in all the newspapers and channels with the same prominence where the alert notices have been published.
At the time of writing both claimed that the tribunal had ruled in their favour.
While IndiaCast UTV stated that the TDSAT has struck down the ‘on-request channel’ scheme, Dish TV said it has not, adding that it is going to continue with it – albeit with a rejoinder that it will be called an ‘a la carte on request channel scheme.’
IndiaCast UTV, on its part, has agreed to DishTV’s pleas to stop running the alert notices in newspapers and on air.
Sources in IndiaCast UTV say their fears about the scheme were that DishTV could have mis-utilised it by making its channels available in both the DTH operator’s base and other subscriber packs and also in its a la carte offerings.
If subscribers did not send an SMS confirming that they wanted the IndiaCast UTV channels, these would be dropped from their pack offerings, even as subscribers would continue paying as per earlier pack prices. Since subscribers would have unsubscribed, Dish TV would not be liable to make payments to IndiaCast UTV despite collecting the entire price for the pack (inclusive of the IndiaCast UTV channels). This, IndiaCast UTV executives feared, would lead to a loss of revenues for them.
They point out to an earlier interview in which DishTV CEO R.C. Venkateish was quoted as saying that the ‘on request channel’ scheme “is not a la carte offering but a scheme that will run on existing packs. We intend to progressively classify a number of channels as ‘on request channels’.”
DishTV’s lawyers, however, clarified with the TDSAT today that the IndiaCast UTV channels would not be offered in all the various subscription packs that the operator offers but rather as a la carte offerings from 1 January 2014. And this is exactly what the aggregator was seeking, say IndiaCast UTV sources.
Earlier agreements between DishTV and IndiaCast UTV for 22 channels in its bouquet are slated to expire on 31 December 2013, while those for another 11 are slated to expire on 31 March 2014.
DishTV sent out an official statement, which said:
“The TDSAT has disposed off the petition of IndiaCast UTV and has upheld the ‘on request DishTV’ scheme where the channels of IndiaCast UTV will be provided by DishTV to its subscribers on a la carte basis. On the petition of DishTV, the TDSAT has also directed IndiaCast UTV to stop publishing advertisements against the ‘on request channel’ scheme of DishTV. We have also been allowed to run the scrolls publishing the ‘on request channels’ scheme by mentioning that the channels will be available on a la carte basis.”
We at indiantelevision.com don’t know if we have seen the last of the exchange of fisticuffs between the two. Let’s wait and watch how things pan out in the coming days.
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.
