DTH
Tata Sky opens Actve Series to advertisers
MUMBAI: Indian DTH players have been scouting for newer revenue opportunities in order to reduce their dependency on subscription revenues. One of the bigger ones, Tata Sky, yesterday announced that it would be selling advertising space on its Actve Series platform allowing advertisers and brands to effectively reach out to the desired TG through either commercials or integrate brand communication in the programmes.
Some of the popular series include Actve Fun Learn for kids under 10 years, Actve English, Actve Cooking, Actve Vedic Maths and Actve Music. According to the DTH provider, almost 2 million of its subscribers watch the Actve Series with cooking and English being the preferred choices, especially in tier II cities and towns. Brands such as McCain Foods, Google, Yakult, Maggi and Britannia have already been signed on to showcase their infomercials on Actve Cooking.
“Reaching out to the audience based on research and preferences has helped our Actve services become a huge success in India. Being a paid platform, there is a high level of interaction with repeat viewers every day consuming content that they desire and expect. The infomercials hence integrated aptly with the Actve channels have resulted in a positive impact on our subscribers,” states Tata Sky CCO Vikram Mehra.
Media planners seem sold out on the idea of getting segmented viewers for their clients. “It is a good way to reach out to people. Ultimately it is content that could be in any form. 2 million isn’t a small audience. The key thing is that it gives you a focused audience,” says MindShare India principle partner Jai Lala.
“Each of these DTH players has launched such content platforms of their own so that they get to know the profile of their users. It is a thing we have been waiting for since long,” adds Lodestar UM CEO Nandini Dias.
Some brand names have been signed up already, but that apparently is only the tip of the iceberg, as bigger advertisers will surely get on board. Dias is of the opinion that personalised brands will do well in this series and FMCG brands will surely advertise as they advertise on an overall basis. Lala feels that brands that can integrate well with the programme will work best. “Consumers are getting onto this platform to learn. So educational brands, retail brands would work well here,” he says.
However, this being a first attempt the ad rates will be at a bare minimum. “The ad rates need to be evolved. They have to be competitively priced because there should be a logic as to why should money be invested into these active services. If there is better segmentation for clients then we can invest and ensure that money is not wasted,” points out Dias.
Tata Sky claims that through its various interactive series, advertisers can directly target customised TGs. Currently, the only way to advertise on the DTH provider is on its channel 100, its initiation channel.
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.
