DTH
Service, quality & delivery: DishTV becomes world’s only CMMI L4-assessed M&E company
MUMBAI: DishTV, Asia’s largest DTH brand, has announced that it has become the only Media & Entertainment organization in the world which has been appraised at Level 4 (CMMI-DEV and CMMI-SVC V1.3) of the CMMI institute’s Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) .
This makes DishTV the newest member of an elite club. The SEI website lists only 15 companies, in India, in last three years together which have been certified for Level 4 or 5.
Speaking on the achievement, DishTV CEO Arun Kumar Kapoor said, “We are glad to become world’s first Media & Entertainment Company to receive CMMI-DEV and CMMI-SVC V1.3 ML4 certification. At DishTV, we are committed to delivering products and services of highest quality to our subscribers.”
“With the CMMI LEVEL 4 rating, we have demonstrated that we have built an infrastructure in our programme that clearly shows our on-going commitment to serving our customers with highest standards of service, quality and exceptional delivery in what we do,” Kapoor added.
“However we don’t intend to rest on our laurels. For us, this is an incentive to keep refining and fine-tuning our system and processes in our quest to give non-stop entertainment to our valued subscribers,” Kapoor said.
Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is a Model developed by Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh USA, to improve process capability of organisations and benchmark capability of organisations worldwide. The first framework of Capability Maturity Model was established in the year 1987. It helps in improving timely delivery coupled with quality and cost effectiveness.
CMMI benchmarking is the most prestigious recognition for IT and IT enabled organisations across the world. This framework consists of five maturity levels. Maturity Level 4 and 5 are known as high maturity levels and organisations assessed at these levels have a capability to quantitatively predict their delivery and quality performance using historical data based statistical models. These organisations demonstrate capability to accomplish and sustain their business objectives and performance.
DishTV India Limited, IT division has been successfully appraised for combined CMMI-DEV and CMMI-SVC V1.3 ML4 in April 2017.
“This continual process improvement journey started couple of years back and with sustained disciplined and committed effort this organizational excellence of “Fast and Flawless” delivery coupled with “Future Readiness” was demonstrated in the rigorous appraisal,” says the leader of the nine member appraisal team Vinit Maheshwari of Maverick Quality Advisory Services (Worldwide CMMI Institute Partner).
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.
