DTH
SecureMedia & IBM team to deliver on demand biz solutions to IPTV industry
MUMBAI: SecureMedia, the US-based provider of conditional access and digital rights management (CA/DRM) software solutions for video content delivery over IP networks, has announced that it has achieved industry optimised status in IBM’s PartnerWorld Industry Networks.
As a participant in the PartnerWorld Industry Networks, SecureMedia can take advantage of IBM’s sales, marketing and technical expertise to develop and deliver solutions that meet customer requirements in the IPTV industry.
Customers are seeking solutions that can help them better integrate processes and applications and allow them to quickly respond to changing market opportunities, all key elements in transforming to an on demand business.
SecureMedia’s Encryptonite System software provides persistent cryptographic protection of video content from its source to the point of consumption while enforcing consumers’ usage rights to content, states an official release.
Encryptonite operates on a variety of hardware and operating system platforms and features an ultra-light and processor-efficient client for low cost integration in resource constrained embedded devices, set-top boxes, and PCs. Encryptonite provides content owners and distributors the highest levels of digital content security while offering service providers operational flexibility, massive scalability, and low overhead performance in protecting VOD and broadcast IPTV.
SecureMedia has been working alongside IBM at Cavalier Telephone in Virginia in the launch of North America’s first IPTV service based on the new H.264/AVC video standard. Cavalier Telephone is a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) serving business and residential customers across five states and the District of Columbia. Cavalier will provide its customers with a complete lineup of the top broadcast pay TV channels, as well as Video on Demand (VOD) content from the major Hollywood studios, all protected by SecureMedia’s Encryptonite System, the release adds.
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.
