DTH
Sushma Swaraj says addressability will be compulsory
Information and broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj has said that cable operators will have to compulsorily build in conditional access systems (CAS) into their networks. In an interview to the The Times of India she has said that: “This issue (conditional access) is being placed before the parliamentary standing committee on November 19. It will be passed by notification since Clause 22E of the Cable Amendment Act allows the ministry to keep pace with technological changes without taking recourse to an amendment.”
She told the newspaper that cable TV operators will no find it difficult to build in conditional access in their networks. “The costs are not going to be so high – not at all. The operator can have the CAS financed by a financial institution,” she says. “A subscriber will not be expected to pay more than Rs 10-15 per month for its use. The average cost of a pay channel today is about Rs 5 per month so how will this prove expensive? I must emphasise that today cable operators are showing more than 70 channels every month and several subscribers do not wish to see so many channels. Having a CAS will help ensure proper content regulation. Those who do not wish to see Fashion TV or MTV or any other pay channel for that matter can simply get the operator not to screen it into their homes.”
Cable TV operators are not likely to take kindly to the initiatives the government is taking to organise the wild cable TV sector. Earlier this week, an Andhra Pradesh High Court (Addressability comes to the forefront) said that basic pay TV channels should stop collecting subscription revenues from cable TV operators until subscribers have the facility to chose which channel they want to watch. This is expected to hit pay TV programmers such as Star TV, Sony Entertainment, Zee TV, Discovery, Hallmark, DD Sports, pretty hard and they are expected to go in appeal against the interim ex parte high court judgement.
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.
