DTH
Tata Sky Binge expands its content library, partners with SonyLIV
KOLKATA: Tata Sky’s OTT aggregator service, Tata Sky Binge, is partnering with SonyLIV to delight customers this festive season. The partnership will add 1000+ hours of exciting content to Tata Sky Binge including TV shows, movies and SonyLIV Originals like Scam 1992 – The Harshad Mehta story, JL50, Avrodh – The Siege Within, Your Honor, Undekhi and movies like Kadakh, Ram Singh Charlie among others. It will also offer a wide selection of movies and TV shows from its bouquet of Sony Pictures Networks channels and live sports.
Tata Sky chief commercial and content officer Pallavi Puri said, “We have always believed in giving a wealth of choice to our subscribers in terms of new content offerings. Banking on shared synergies, we are confident that SonyLIV’s library of outstanding content will ensure that our subscribers continue to discover the most entertaining and engaging content on the Tata Sky Binge platform.”
Sony Entertainment Television, digital business and StudioNEXT business head Danish Khan said, “From the time of relaunch, we have been witnessing huge surge in content consumption on the large screens and connected devices and our partnership with Tata Sky Binge will further bolster our leadership in the large screen households. We have a robust content library that has a lot to offer for Binge users to choose from. This collaboration will allow us to boost our engagement at a time when users are glued to their screens for captivating stories.”
Tata Sky Binge is a streaming platform that aggregates the best of premium OTT and catch-up TV content under a single interface and single subscription. Accessed via the Amazon Fire TV Stick- Tata Sky Edition or the Tata Sky Binge+ Android powered Smart Set-top box, it offers a host of entertainment options from India’s nine premium OTT apps including Disney+ Hotstar Premium, ZEE5, SunNxt, Hungama Play, Eros Now, ShemarooMe, Voot Select, Voot Kids and now SonyLIV. It also offers three months of Amazon Prime Video at no extra cost.
Tata Sky subscribers can access the library of premium OTT apps on Tata Sky Binge via the Amazon Fire TV Stick – Tata Sky Edition for just Rs 299 per month. New Tata Sky customers can avail a Tata Sky Binge+ connection at Rs 2,999 and existing users can upgrade or get a secondary connection at an offer price of Rs 2,499. This includes six months subscription to the Tata Sky Binge platform. Tata Sky Binge customers on the FireTV stick or the Binge+ Box also get access to the last seven days of missed shows (based on linear entitlement).
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.
