DTH
Reliance ADA group to hive off DTH operations
MUMBAI: The Anil Ambani-owned DTH service Reliance Digital TV which claims to have a five million net subscriber base and an estimated two million active connections is likely to be hived off in to a separate company. For the past three or four years, Reliance Communications, the parent company has been seeking a buyer for the venture. It had spoken to Sun TV in the past but the valuations and expectations did not match what the former was willing to pay for Reliance Digital TV. Unconfirmed reports say that the company had inconclusive conversations with other potential partners too. Hence, it has decided to go for a spin off of its DTH service business which has been relatively stagnant.
Reliance Communications, the parent company of Reliance Digital, is being driven to do this to pare its debt-EBIDTA ratio. Speaking to investors yesterday RCOM CEO (consumer business) Gurdeep Singh said that the idea was to bring that number from 4.64 currently to about three in 18-24 months. Other assets that could be seeking buyers include equity stakes in its international operations at Reliance Globalcom, and in its tower unit Reliance Infratel.
“We are looking to bring down our debt-to-EBIDTA ratio to around 3 within 18-24 months and are looking at monetizing our non-core assets to deleverage the balance sheet,” Reliance Communications (RCom) CEO (Consumer Business) Gurdeep Singh informed PTI. He added: “For this, we are looking at hiving off the DTH business, stake sale in our international operations at Reliance Globalcom, monetization of our real estate assets, as well as a possible divestment in Reliance Infratel, which handles our towers portfolio.”
The group earlier this week announced the merger of its wireless business with another telco Aircel. It is also looking to raise $1 billion (approximately Rs 6,686.5 crore) in equity to expand the venture and make possible payments to the government for mobile spectrum use.
DTH
DD Free Dish e-auction heats up with 26 MPEG-2 slots sold in two days
Hindi movies, GEC and news dominate; Star Utsav Movies tops Day 2 at Rs 213.45 crore
MUMBAI- The bidding war on DD Free Dish is turning into a blockbuster and the slots are selling faster than popcorn at interval. Prasar Bharati’s 8th annual MPEG-2 e-auction delivered another strong day on Tuesday, with 18 more channels securing spots across movies, regional music and news buckets, taking the two-day total to 26.
Day 2 belonged to the movies and news categories. In Bucket A (Hindi Movies), Star Utsav Movies led the pack at Rs 213.45 crore, pipped only narrowly by Zee Action at Rs 213.4 crore. Goldmines landed at Rs 13.35 crore and Zee Anmol at Rs 13.3 crore, showing razor-thin price bands and fierce competition. Bucket B saw Zee Bioscope top at Rs 10.6 crore, Bhojpuri Cinema Rs 10.5 crore, B4U Bhojpuri Rs 10.2 crore, while Showbox, Unique TV and B4U Music each closed at Rs 10.25 crore.
News channels in Bucket C stayed tightly bunched: NDTV, Aaj Bharat, Zee News and India TV all secured slots at Rs 8.6 crore, with News Nation and ABP News slightly higher at Rs 8.65 crore. Bucket D rounded out with Russia Today at Rs 9.75 crore and GTC Punjabi at Rs 7.92 crore.
Day 1 had already set a premium tone, with eight slots snapped up – six in Bucket A+ (Hindi/Urdu GEC, starting reserve Rs 15 crore) and two in Bucket A (Hindi/Urdu Movies, starting Rs 12 crore). Sony PAL topped Day 1 winners at Rs 16.55 crore, Star Utsav Rs 16.25 crore, Shemaroo TV Rs 16.35 crore, Zee Anmol, Colors Rishtey and Sun Neo at Rs 16.40 crore each. Sony WAH took a Bucket A slot at Rs 13.95 crore and Zee Anmol Cinema at Rs 13.45 crore.
The surge reflects broadcasters’ hunger for DD Free Dish’s estimated 43–45 million rural and semi-urban households, where Hindi GEC and movies remain advertising goldmines.
The auction runs under the revised E-auction Methodology 2025 (amended 9 January 2026), with escalating reserves – Round 2 Bucket A+ at Rs 16 crore, Round 3 Bucket A at Rs 13 crore – and stricter eligibility to weed out speculative bids. Channels must be operational, available in the relevant language, and already carried on at least one private DTH, DD Free Dish or registered MSO.
With premium genres flying off the shelf, the coming rounds will test how deep pockets really are as reserves climb and tactical down-bidding gets harder. In India’s largest free-to-air universe, these auctions aren’t just about slots – they’re about who gets to stay on the screen that reaches deepest into the heartland.
