DTH
Tata Sky launches interactive comedy service in partnership with Shemaroo Entertainment
MUMBAI: Tata Sky has added a new service to its diverse bouquet of content – Tata Sky Comedy. The DTH player has partnered with Shemaroo Entertainment as content partner, powered by Comedywalas. The tagline for this new service is ‘Haso Khulke’. Tata Sky had recently launched two interactive services – Actve Fitness in association with Suniel Shetty and Dance Studio in partnership with Madhuri Dixit Nene and Dr. Shriram Nene’s RnM Moving Pictures.
Tata Sky Comedy will initially be available to its subscribers primarily on TV and can also move to digital platforms in the future. The viewers can also see the popular comic strip Suppandi refreshed daily.
Launched today on 8 March 2016, Tata Sky’s latest addition aims to be a single destination for all formats of Hindi comedy content. The launch event also provided a glimpse of the service, as unfolded by stand-up comedians Sugandha Mishra and Sahil Khattar who are also a part of the service.
“We wanted a guide, an anchor with a youthful appeal who could carry the audience for this new service. Sugandha and Sahil are youth icons and are perfect to be a part of our service”, said Shemaroo Entertainment director Hiren Gada.
Priced at Rs 59, the standalone service aims at a non-stop clean entertainment for all age groups, across geographical and socioeconomic boundaries with a diverse range of formats exclusively for its subscribers.
Talking about the launch, Tata Sky chief commercial officer Pallavi Puri said, “With Tata Sky Comedy we aim to provide a fun way to relax for our subscribers. Comedy is a genre that the audiences have a huge appetite for, and we believe there is currently a gap for a singular destination for all types of Hindi comedy content. We wish to fill that gap with this latest offering from Tata Sky. In partnership with Shemaroo, it is our attempt to provide a one-stop shop for popular comedy formats that will be available to subscribers 24 hours a day. ”
The 24×7 ad free service based on a subscription only basis, will be free for the first 10 days for its customers. Placed at channel 102, the interactive service has a diverse range of formats like Bollywood Tadka which is an overview of Bollywood mixed with comedy. This comedy service features interesting formats like Scene Smaash, Pehchaan Kaun, Dekh Gaana Dekh, Filmy Fankaar, Pocket Films with Gauri, etc.
Tata Sky Comedy will have all time classics, will highlight jokes, fun quizzes and comic strips and will telecast all-time favourite shows like Zabaan Sambhalke, Office Office, Ye Jo Hai Zindagi, Nukkad, etc. Interesting and eye grabbing short snippets like Waiting Lounge, Fact de India, Paanch Namune, Sher Bazaar, No News Network, etc., will be made available to the customers under Comedy Fatafat hour. One of the formats, The Weekend Special, will feature the best of Comedy Circus for an hour every Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm and 10 pm.
Talking about his company’s expertise, Gada said, “We’re very excited to launch the comedy service with Tata Sky. Being a leading content aggregator and owner, our continuous efforts are to serve our audiences in new and innovative ways. Comedywalas is one such initiative from Shemaroo. Given the fact that comedy is such a universal entertainment genre, our efforts will be to aggregate, produce and curate some highly entertaining and fun programming.”
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.
