DTH
MTV US president Van Toffler highlights the importance of short form videos during CTIA keynote
MUMBAI: In his keynote address at the CTIA Wireless 2006 event in the US, MTV Music Group president Van Toffler highlighted the appeal of short-form video from the MTV, VH1, CMT, Comedy Central, Logo and Spike TV brands on the wireless platform.
He described the mobile platform as a rich, creative medium for new and emerging talent to connect with and cultivate new audiences.
To underscore that point, Toffler welcomed recording artist LL Cool J, to the stage. LL offered an advance look at an upcoming episode of MTV’s Life & Rhymes, which chronicles his life as an artist and is set to debut tonight 10 April on MTV, MTV’s broadband channel Overdrive and on MTV Mobile.
Toffler noted that audiences have increasingly embraced MTV Networks’ diverse array of mobile programming. Last month MTV Networks streamed nearly 2.5 million videos cross-carrier, an all-time high, Toffler reported, adding that the number is growing by nearly 40 per cent month-to-month for the first three months of 2006.
He says, “Our audience is responding in droves to our mobile programming. They have a personal relationship with our brands and they increasingly want to consume our content on the handset, the new ‘holy grail’ of electronic
devices.”
LL Cool J echoed that sentiment saying, “The mobile phone helps me establish closer ties with my fans, connect with new ones and hopefully inspire everyone I touch through my music. The cell phone — which has become
the accessory for today’s young adults — is one way that helps me reach them.”
Among the varied types of mobile programming driving audience consumption are music videos, comedy segments, user-generated content, scenes from television shows, ‘after shows’ developed exclusively for mobile, never-
before-seen outtakes, and short art breaks, also known as “sharts,” featuring animated and live-action segments.
In many respects, the burgeoning mobile
platform is a return to MTV Networks’ early roots, when MTV gained significant
notoriety for the five- and 15-second art breaks created by brilliant, young talent and which lived between the music videos. For the MTVN Music Group, which encompasses the CMT, MTV and VH1 brands, three types of programming — extensions of on-air franchises; made-for-mobile episodes; and music — are all performing well on the mobile platform.
Extensions of On-air Franchises
VH1’s Flavour of Love, the most successful show in that channel’s history, was also the most popular VH1 Mobile content in February
and March.
— Web Junk 20 also on VH1 and VH1 Mobile, ushered in the user-generated era to TV and simultaneously to mobile phones.
— MTV will showcase a 20-year-old college student’s visual interpretation using stick figures based on the lyrics of Fall Out
Boy’s Sugar We’re Going Down, representing original user-generated content.
— VH1 is debuting Dingo Ate My Video, a made-for-mobile series that combines VH1’s comedic voice with music videos from a wide
range of artists, including Green Day, Missy Elliot, Jewel and others.
— Country Music Television soon will debut a made-for-mobile reality series called Road Hammers about a southern rock/blues band trying to make it in the music business.
MTV adds that labels and artists like LL Cool J increasingly are embracing the mobile platform to connect with fans and institute new marketing paradigms.
The Arctic Monkey’s new video I Bet You Look Good on the Dance floor made its debut on: mtvU, MTV’s network for college students; mtvU’s Uber broadband network; mtvU.com and mtvU wireless.
The approach mirrored a similar one taken by VH1 last year, which debuted Te Amo Corazon, the new Prince single, on VH1, VH1’s
VSPOT broadband channel, and VH1 Mobile. The Prince debut marked the world’s first-ever multimedia, multiplatform worldwide
exclusive premiere.
— Prior to releasing her latest single and album, Madonna distributed an exclusive ringtone for Hung Upon MTV Mobile and VH1 Mobile.
Spike TV is delivering the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s ‘Ultimate Fight Night(TM) Live’ to Amp’d Mobile subscribers tonight.
This represents the first time the live sporting event is being simulcast to both mobile devices and to television subscribers.
“The wireless platform is as important to us as television and computer screens. As soon as we start developing a new concept, we think beyond the television. We think of how that idea can live on broadband and mobile” Toffler says.
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.
