DTH
RINcash to recharge mobile & DTH connections
MUMBAI: RechargeItNow.com, a brand of Online Recharge Services, recently launched RINcash Wallet. This easy-to-use online platform allows its users to make bill payments and recharge their mobile or DTH with just one click and automatically earn cashback points with other exciting offers.
“RechargeItNow.com has launched a close-loop wallet RINcash, which offers a unique opportunity to its customers to receive credit of their rewards for using our services. Users will see unique customized offers which will enhance their value of using our services and help them earn free talktime too,” said Online Recharge Services president Sharat Jain.
India’s online mobile and DTH recharge brand, RechargeItNow, is growing fast. It has 14 million registered users, adds 140,000 users every month and processes 40,000 recharges every day.
RINcash Wallet provides 100% redemption of available RINcashpoints in one go. With best in the market cashback deals and offers, RINcash Wallet is both unique and flexible, because it allows customers to pay through credit card, debit card, net banking and UPI/Wallets – and is seamlessly integrated with all mobile operators and leading payment gateways in India.
Shailendra Gupta, CTO and VP-Business Development, says, “RINcash Wallet provides awesome value through cashback deals and offers. RechargeItNow is running exciting cashback promotions for existing and new users across all platforms (desktop site, mobile site and Android mobile app), with cashback points directly credited to a user’s RINcash Wallet. We will continue to provide more value to users through new services, deals and offers. So stay tuned to RechargeItNow.”
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.
