DTH
Tata Sky leverages influencers’ clout for ‘Har Ghar Ki Khidki’
KOLKATA: Tata Sky has launched its new social media campaign Har Ghar Ki Khidki, in tandem with the unveil of its new brand purpose statement — ‘Tata Sky exists to make tomorrow better than today for family and home.’
The social media campaign designed and executed by its digital marketing agency Chimp&z Inc highlights the candid and unfiltered emotions of the viewers from the perspective of Tata Sky being the khidki, or window, of entertainment in every house. The campaign is aimed at creating awareness about the new TVC as well as to engage with the brand's young audience on social media.
The campaign has been carried out leveraging the Reels feature on Instagram. Featuring popular internet sensations including Awez Darbar, Anushka Sen, Siddharth Nigam, Just Neel, Sameeksha Sud, Arsh, Tanzeel Khan and Funcho among others, saw participation pouring in from several followers. The average views on the influencers’ Reels has been over 7.83 million, resulting in engagement of 9.02 million on influencer videos and Tata Sky handles across social media. The essence of the campaign was brought alive with the help of the very melodious tune of the TVC and snippets of daily life that unfolds in a household captured by the influencers. Tata Sky will also collate the best entries to put together a Khidki Anthem.
Tata Sky chief communications officer Anurag Kumar said, “The idea behind the Har Ghar Ki Khidki campaign was to capture the diverse unfiltered emotions of our audience while they are watching Tata Sky. This is a figurative portrayal of how an individual or family experiences varied emotions while they get informed, entertained or educated through the khidki that is Tata Sky.”
Chimp&z Inc co-founder & CEO Angad Singh Manchanda said, “Instagram Reels is where the internet audience is these days and we wanted to leverage this medium for Tata Sky’s Har Ghar Ki Khidki campaign. In order to build an emotional connect between the brand and the consumer, we thought of utilising the hummable tune of the film and make the entire activity interactive by capturing the daily life moments that people experience while watching TV. We are very happy with the engagement we’ve seen so far on this campaign.”
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.
