News Broadcasting
Prasar Bharati sets a higher reserve price for Hindi movies & devotional channels in its 61st e-auction
Mumbai: Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has invited applications for allotment of vacant MPEG-2 slots of the DD Free Dish free direct-to-home (DTH) platform for the period 17 August 2022 to 31 March 2023. The 61st e-auction process will be tentatively held on 10 August.
The public broadcaster has categorized the vacant MPEG-2 slots under six buckets including Bucket A for all Hindi movie channels, Bucket R1 for devotional channels, Bucket A+ for all Hindi general entertainment (GEC) channels, Bucket B for all Hindi music channels, Hindi sports channels, Bhojpuri GECs, Bhojpuri movies and Hindi teleshopping channels, Bucket C for Hindi, English and Punjabi news and current affairs channels and Bucket D for remaining genre language channels.
The reserve price of the MPEG-2 slots is set as high as Rs 14.37 crore and as low as Rs 4.40 crore. Notably, the prices for Hindi movie channels and devotional channels are the highest while Hindi GECs and news and current affairs channels are low-priced in comparison.
Prasar Bharati recently concluded its 60th e-auction where it allotted two MPEG-4 slots to the channels Swaraj Express SMBC and Sanskriti 24×7 for the period 5 July 2022 to 31 March 2023.
In a recent interview, former Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati revealed that the public broadcaster earned as much as ~Rs 750 crore from the sale of vacant DD Free Dish slots in 2021.
With an estimated reach of 50 million viewers, DD Free Dish is the largest DTH platform in the country. The platform has 167 TV channels including 145 channels in standard definition (SD) MPEG-2, 21 channels in SD MPEG-4 and one channel in high-definition (HD) MPEG-4. The public broadcaster intends to expand its overall number of channels to 200.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
