DTH
Murdoch pitches for speedy DTH clearance
NEW DELHI: News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch today held one of the longest meetings with a representative of the Indian Government, information and broadcast minister Jaipal Reddy, towards the end of his five day visit.
At the end of the over one hour meeting at Shastri Bhavan, Murdoch’s message was clear – Let’s get the DTH cart moving faster.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, Reddy said that Murdoch did request for “expeditious clearance” of Space TV DTH application.
The application for a DTH license of Space TV, 80:20 joint venture between Tata Sons and Star Group, has been pending with the I&B ministry for over eight months now. Other ministries like home and finance have cleared the application.
Interestingly, Murdoch referred to pubcaster Doordarshan’s free DTH service and praised the way it has progressed.
At the moment, apart from DD Direct Plus, the only other DTH service beaming is Dish TV, 20 per cent owned by Zee Telefilms.
According to Reddy, Murdoch spoke at length on the global, technological revolutions during the meeting, as also the China market vis-?-vis India.
As per information available, Murdoch reiterated his stand on the need to further liberalise FDI norms in some sectors like media.
A similar pitch was made during a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday.
Murdoch also met up with telecom and IT minister Dayanidhi Maran. The media baron flies out of India tomorrow morning after what has been described as “a successful Indian tour.”
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.
