DTH
Tata Play & Airtel Digital TV to Merge in Share Swap Deal – Economic Times report
MUMBAI — A major consolidation is underway in India’s television distribution landscape as Tata Play and Airtel Digital TV prepare to merge through a share swap, according to a report by The Economic Times.
The deal will see Airtel holding over 50 per cent of the combined entity, effectively consolidating India’s direct-to-home (DTH) sector as viewers increasingly shift towards digital streaming platforms.
Tata Play, formerly known as Tata Sky, is India’s largest DTH provider and was previously a joint venture with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which was later acquired by Disney in 2019. Through this merger, Airtel will gain access to Tata Play’s 19 million subscribers, bolstering its strategy to bundle telecom, broadband, and DTH services.
The merger follows the 2016 consolidation of Dish TV and Videocon d2h, and comes amid Reliance Industries and Disney combining Star India and Viacom18 to form JioStar, now India’s largest media company with Rs 26,000 crore revenue in FY24.
First reported by The Economic Times on 8 October 2024, the agreement is expected to be formalised soon. Airtel is likely to control 52-55 per cent of the new entity, while Tata Play’s shareholders, including Disney, will retain 45-48 per cent. Tata Sons is reportedly seeking two board seats, while Airtel’s management is expected to lead operations.
“This will be a non-binding agreement,” an executive familiar with the deal told the newspaper. “Both parties have been engaged for months and are expected to resolve outstanding issues quickly.”
Both companies are valued at between Rs 6,000-7,000 crore each. Airtel Digital TV operates under Bharti Telemedia Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bharti Airtel. Tata Sons owns 70 per cent of Tata Play after acquiring Temasek Holding’s 10 per cent stake in April 2024 for Rs 835 crore, valuing Tata Play at $1 billion, down from its pre-pandemic $3 billion.
Disney is expected to maintain its stake in the merged entity. As of September 2024, the two DTH providers had a combined 35 million subscribers, generating over Rs 7,000 crore in revenue in FY24. Tata Play also serves 500,000 broadband customers.
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.
