DTH
Tata Sky reveals new channel prices after TRAI’s show-cause notice
MUMBAI: Leading direct to home (DTH) operator Tata Sky on Thursday finally unveiled the new pricing of channels and packs after it was served a show-cause notice by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). With just a week for the new tariff order to kick in Tata Sky’s decision to announce its pricing comes as a relief to consumers, some of whom had even complained about the same to the TRAI.
According to a report by news agency PTI, TRAI's show-cause notice said, "Tata Sky has failed to provide options to its 17.7 million subscribers in compliance with the new framework to exercise their choices for TV channels. Tata Sky has put its subscribers in a situation of great difficulty despite no fault of theirs by not complying with the provisions of the new regulations and the tariff order.”
Despite the delay in announcing channel prices, Tata Sky MD and CEO Harit Nagpal is confident that his team can complete the tricky task of implementing the new norms within a relatively short span of time.
“Tata Sky has always been compliant to regulatory requirements. We have gone live with our modes of communication across the Tata Sky website, Tata Sky mobile app and also equipped the dealers that subscribers can reach out to. We were confident that we would be able to complete the task in 1 week’s time. hence we used this time to create a seamless and smooth transition for all our subscribers. We have ensured that choosing channels and packs is as easy as 1, 2, 3 for any subscriber,” the veteran executive said.
The DTH operator has come up with a number of packs that will serve consumers of different interests. The packs not only focus on several genres like entertainment, news, sports, and lifestyle but also on all the regions across the country. Even in terms of pricing, the packs provided by the DTH operator offers a wide variety. Apart from its own packages, Tata Sky has also updated the information about broadcasters’ packages and price of the channels available on a-la-carte basis.
For making the transition easier for its subscribers, a dedicated pack selection portal has also been provided on the website. Users need to log in via their registered mobile number or subscriber ID, post which they can exercise the options.
The DTH operator has also notified that users with long duration packs will be migrated to monthly packs starting 1 February and the remaining balance will be credited to their Tata Sky account.
Tata Sky is currently embroiled in a legal battle, of which Bharti Telemedia-owned Airtel Digital TV and Sun Direct are a part, with the TRAI in the Delhi High Court. Unlike the position Star India had adopted, wherein it questioned the regulatory powers of TRAI, the matter in the Delhi HC questions the regulator’s power to wipe out deals that operators enter into to fix commissions and rates for customers. The court is likely to pronounce its verdict in the matter on 28 January.
In a press release issued by the TRAI on Thursday, it had singled out one DTH operator for not providing options to its subscribers to exercise their choices. The press note also mentioned that the said DTH operator had assured in writing that it would comply with the new regulatory framework.
TRAI wrote to all broadcasters and DPOs, asking them to comply by the new regulatory framework within the stipulated time. The regulator has also revealed that 40 per cent of consumers have exercised their option of selecting TV channels under the new tariff order.
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.
