Distribution
QYOU Media India’s Q Play+ announces global distribution partnership with Coolita
Mumbai: In an endeavor to significantly expand the reach of its curated content offerings in India and across the globe, India’s youngest and multi-platform entertainment network, QYOU Media India forges a global distribution partnership with Coolita, a leading global smart TV+OS brand, captivating viewers with free streaming of FAST channels of Q Play+. This strategic collaboration marks a pivotal moment for both QYOU Media India and Coolita, as they join forces to deliver a diverse range of content to Coolita’s global user base, ensuring a seamless and immersive entertainment journey.
As a part of this alliance, Coolita users in India and across the globe, through their wide range of smart TV sets including Croma, Thomson, Panasonic, LLOYD, Itel, and others along with their operating software Coolita will have the privilege to stream QYOU Media India’s five FAST channels – The Q, The Q Kahaniyan, Q GameX, Sadhguru TV, and BH Live for free. As technology and entertainment continue to evolve, this partnership ensures viewers get access to high-quality, localized content, adding a new dimension to their television viewing experience.
Speaking on strengthening its digital presence in India and across the globe, QYOU Media India COO Krishna Menon said, “Our partnership with Coolita is a significant milestone in our mission to provide top-notch entertainment to viewers in India and worldwide. This collaboration allows us to strengthen our digital presence on connected TVs and offer our curated content to a global audience. We are excited to enhance the viewing experience and take a step closer to our audience with this exciting collaboration.”
Addressing the partnership, Coolita head of partnerships Samuel Lin shared, “In an exciting development, Coolita has partnered with QYOU Media’s Q Play+ to enhance access for Indian viewers. This collaboration grants Indian audiences free access to curated Indian programs, enhancing their viewing experience with a localized touch. Users of TV brands supported by Coolita, such as Panasonic, Croma, and Thomson, can now enjoy Q Play’s five 24-hour channels at no cost. This strategic alliance significantly amplifies the local coverage and accessibility of Q Play’s offerings.”
Coolita, known for its cutting-edge Coolita OS, is a trailblazer in the global smart TV industry. An industry-leading large-screen operating system, Coolita OS, consistently pushes the boundaries of technology to deliver the finest audio-visual content and an exceptional service experience to users worldwide. Operating in over 80 countries across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, America, and beyond, Coolita’s reach is truly expansive. Notably, the company has successfully shipped over 2 million large-screen devices running the Coolita system in India, making it a household name in the region.
Marking an exciting chapter in the evolution of home entertainment in India and beyond, QYOU Media India’s partnership with Coolita will enable the network to reach a broader global audience, sharing its unique content offerings with Coolita’s rapidly growing user base of smart TV.
New Delhi: Prasar Bharati has thrown open applications for fresh capacity on DD Free Dish, signalling a timely opportunity for broadcasters looking to expand reach without long-term lock-ins. The public service broadcaster has issued a dual notice for its 95th and 96th online e-auctions, aimed at filling vacant MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 slots on a pro-rata basis for February and March 2026.
The two auctions are tentatively scheduled to begin on January 27, with allotments valid from February 1, 2026. Applications for both auctions close on January 21 at 3 pm, giving channels a narrow window to get their bids in.
The 95th e-auction will cover vacant MPEG-2 slots, while the 96th will focus on MPEG-4 capacity. Participation is limited to satellite television channels holding valid downlinking and uplinking permissions from the ministry of information and broadcasting. International public broadcasters cleared by the ministry are also eligible.
As with previous rounds, channels have been grouped into buckets based on genre and language, with sharply differentiated reserve prices reflecting reach and demand.
For the MPEG-2 auction, Hindi and Urdu general entertainment channels sit at the top of the pile. The starting reserve price for bucket A+ in the first round is Rs 2,63,48,000. Movie, music and sports channels in Hindi and Urdu follow in bucket A at Rs 2,10,14,000. Bhojpuri channels and other Hindi and Urdu genres, excluding devotional content, fall under bucket B with a reserve of Rs 1,78,62,000. Hindi and Urdu news channels in bucket C start at Rs 1,33,27,000, while bucket D, which includes regional language channels, English news and devotional or spiritual channels, begins at Rs 1,13,96,000.
The MPEG-4 auction comes in at a far leaner price point. News and current affairs channels in Hindi, English or pan-India languages, grouped under bucket G1, start at Rs 13,41,000. Non-news genres under bucket G2 have a reserve of Rs 8,80,000. Regional languages such as Marathi, Punjabi and Gujarati in bucket R2 begin at Rs 4,84,000. Southern language channels in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, grouped under bucket R1, start at Rs 81,000, the same reserve price set for other scheduled 8 regional languages in bucket R3.
Prasar Bharati has underlined that compliance will be closely watched. Broadcasters must ensure that at least 75 per cent of their monthly programming, excluding advertisements, aligns with the declared genre and language. Any deviation could trigger show-cause notices or even removal from the DD Free Dish platform.
For channels chasing reach in a crowded market, the message is clear. The window is brief, the prices are set and the audience is waiting. On DD Free Dish, visibility still comes cheap, but only for those ready to move fast.
