DTH
Industry welcomes reduction of CENVAT on STBs
MUMBAI: The Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in his Vote on Account speech in Parliament today announced a proposed reduction of excise duty from 12 per cent to 10 per cent on all goods falling under chapter 84 and 85 of the schedule to the Central Excise Tariff Act for the period up to 30 June, 2014. With effect from today, CENVAT on Consumer Premises Equipment (CPE) has been reduced.
The reduction in excise duty would be a great relief even to the DTH and TV industry. In fact, Dish TV welcomed the announcement as they hope this would give the DTH sector in India some respite from the levy of multiple taxes.
The Direct to Home operator Dish TV which had been requesting the government to waive 12.36 per cent service tax till the rollout of GST and rationalise other taxes imposed on the DTH industry applauded the duty reduction move as its Set Top Boxes and other Consumer Premises Equipment fall under Chapter 85 of the Schedule.
“This is a small relief. But any relief is welcome,” says Dish TV CEO RC Venkateish, further adding, “We still need to evaluate the reduction to be able to decide what it translates for the consumer and if they would see any reduction of cost for our services.”
Dish TV will evaluate the reduction in the next couple of days. “It is a highly taxed industry with dual taxation of entertainment and service tax. Major relief will be felt only if these two are reduced or one of them is eliminated,” says Venkatesh.
“This reduction means that we will save some Rs 50-60 per Set Top Box (STB). So for a volume of say 2-2.5 million STB, we will save close to Rs 10-15 crore,” he informs.
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.
