DTH
Tata Sky celebrates 14th anniversary, creates a nostalgic digital campaign
KOLKATA: 8 August marked the fourteenth anniversary of Tata Sky, a brand that has grown into a successful and innovation-led organization with a deep-rooted commitment to customer satisfaction through hard work and living up to its ideals of delivering value through strategic planning, technical innovation and embodying passion for all their endeavors.
To commemorate the fourteenth-anniversary milestone, Tata Sky, India’s leading content distribution and Pay TV platform in collaboration with Chimp&z Inc, created a nostalgic #14YearsOfJingalala digital campaign honoring the allegiance of 14 of its patrons who have been the earliest customers of Tata Sky.
The outreach involved touching base with some of the loyal customers spread across the country and requesting them to share their thoughts on being associated with the brand for more than a decade. Their unscripted anecdotes and memories thus garnered advocated the evolution of the brand over the last 14 years and were weaved into a nostalgic video that enunciated trust and quality. The campaign was further amplified with celebrity influencers congratulating Tata Sky for a successful and formidable journey.
Commenting on honoring this landmark anniversary, Tata Sky chief communication officer Anurag Kumar said, “Our history of putting the customer first is evident through our network of long-term customers, many of which have been with us for over ten years. This anniversary, we wanted to relive the connections we have forged with our consumers through genuine and authentic testimonials that gave an overview of their journey with us. The responses received not only makes for a joyful and encouraging video but also makes us take comfort in the fact that we have made a positive difference to their lives and earned their loyalty for life.”
On the success of the campaign, Chimp&z Inc CEO and co-founder Angad Singh Manchanda said, “We went by the thought that a significant milestone like the 14th anniversary of Tata Sky needed to be upheld with a campaign that brought out the real essence of the brand. And what better way to do that than to reach out to those people who have experienced the service and quality of the product first hand. The #14YearsOfJingalala campaign video is like beautiful memorabilia to be cherished. The people featured in the video are not only consumers but brand custodians and have been endorsing the brand in their own little way.”
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.
