DTH
Tata Sky launches interactive educational service
MUMBAI: Education is the next happening thing in India. Tata Sky in partnership with Tata Elxsi and Tata ClassEdge plans launch an interactive educational service. As part of the deal, Tata Elxsi is supporting the development of content that is specially developed to suit modularised learning programs and made available via Tata Sky’s active plus portfolio of value added services. It will produce interactive educational content for science students from classes V to VIII with lessons mapped to their syllabus.
Tata Sky Classroom is an educational service launched by Tata Sky along with Tata ClassEdge. It aims at assisting tutoring young viewers in an engaging manner with animated video content providing a fundamental understanding of core concepts in Science and Maths subjects.
“Tata Sky Classroom will help children in understanding core concepts which are really the key building blocks for future learning as we see this as a clear need gap. The service is aligned with children’s school syllabus and covers over 500 topics, delivered in an interesting and interactive format. With the objective to provide the best-in-class educational experience for kids, Tata ClassEdge with their expertise in the field was the perfect fit. Some of the best schools in India are currently using multimedia solutions from Tata ClassEdge to augment classroom learning. We plan to now make these accessible to our subscribers at an affordable price,” said Tata Sky chief commercial officer Pallavi Puri.
This interactive service has been launched and is now available to all subscribers.
“We are excited to partner with Tata Sky and make available our innovative learning content to children in the comfort and convenience of their homes. Tata Sky Classroom will enable learning of the core concepts of Science & Maths in an engaging manner so that a child understands the fundamental principles and is able to access this anytime of the day. This partnership will further support our vision of educating 10 million students annually by 2025,” added Tata ClassEdge chief commercial officer Rajesh Khandagale.
“Interactive content is increasingly being leveraged to help create effective learning experiences for school children, enabling easier understanding, improved comprehension and knowledge retention. Tata Elxsi’s award-winning digital and interactive content creation capabilities, coupled with its deep expertise in broadcast technologies, enables operators and broadcasters expand their portfolio of value added services, develop new revenue streams and discover new audiences, through compelling and differentiated content,” said Tata Elxsi SVP marketing and strategy Nitin Pai.
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.
