DTH
The DTH Wannabes
| Star TV | Had set up ISKyB with a team of 300. When government decided to ban it, it hung on to the team for nearly two years before dismantling it. It laid off some employees, relocated others. But it still has the SMS in place in Delhi; lost its DTH chief recently. Will also be hemmed in by foriegn ownership restrictions. Has a presence in cable TV, broadcasting. Likely to got with earlier DTH partner Pramod Mittal as Indian ally. |
| Zee TV | Likely player.The Zee Network has invested in Canal Plus technology. Has a pay bouquet. But is presently cash strapped. Could face problems as it is in cable TV, broadcasting, and is also owned 70 per cent plus through foreign (read non-resident Indian Subhash Chandra) equity. |
| Modi Enrtertainment | Was a potential player in DTH, having signed with Loral. Has broadband plans and experience with pay TV distribution. Is probably the only player who is not a broadcaster or in cable; is Indian owned and does not have any foriegn equity ownership. Is well-positioned to launch a platform |
| C. Sivasankaran | Had options on Ku-band transponders on ST-I band satellite. Planned to become an education and infotainment player via DTH. Is in the process of launching broadband from November. Likely player. Has no problems of foreign ownership; is also loaded with cash. |
| Doordarshan | Had signed a two year contract with Measat. Lobbied for DD as platform operator. Has recently launched two pay channels. It does not have experience with DTH, with all senior officials including Rathikant Basu, RK Singh, Urmila Gupta, Ashok Mansukhani who were involved with the Measat negotiations having left. Is a likely player. |
| HFCL | Has come out from nowhere to be a force to reckon with in telephony, television, and hardware. Potentially could get into DTH. Also has a partnership with Ozzie media and leisure baron Kerry Packer. Manufactures television hardware. |
| Reliance | Is extremely ambitious about convergence. Has deep pockets. Is setting up a broadband backbone and is looking at investing in television programming. Would like to have other options for bandwidth; hence could go for DTH. Is television neutral as it is not a broadcaster nor in cable TV. Is also Indian owned. |
DTH
Free Dish serves fresh slots as Prasar Bharati rings in e Auction 97
MPEG 4 slots for 2026–27 open with bids from March 16 and applications due March 9.
MUMBAI- When the Free Dish menu changes, broadcasters sharpen their forks. Prasar Bharati has formally opened applications for vacant MPEG-4 slots on its DD Free Dish direct to home platform, setting the stage for the 97th e-auction, scheduled to begin on March 16, 2026. The allotment will cover the broadcast period from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, continuing the public broadcaster’s annual auction cycle.
The notice, issued on February 9, 2026, lays out a familiar but finely sliced structure, with channels grouped into genre and language based “buckets”, each carrying its own reserve price and bidding dynamics. The aim is simple: widen content choice on DD Free Dish while keeping the playing field regulated and competitive.
At the premium end of the table, HD channels (Bucket H) will open with a reserve price of Rs 80 lakh, with bid increments of Rs 1 lakh.
Regional language channels are split across multiple rounds. Bucket R1, covering South Indian languages, and Bucket R2, which includes Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali, will both start at Rs 5 lakh in round one, moving up to Rs 15 lakh in the second round.
News and current affairs channels under Bucket G1 will begin at Rs 30 lakh, escalating to Rs 50 lakh in the next round, while the General Open round (GO) meant to mop up unfilled slots across categories carries a reserve price of Rs 70 lakh.
Eligibility remains tightly controlled. Participation is limited to satellite television channels licensed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, with international public broadcasters holding valid MIB licences also allowed to bid. Prasar Bharati has also reiterated strict content compliance norms, making genre and language declarations more than just paperwork.
To qualify as “predominant”, at least 75 percent of non advertising content must align with the declared genre and language. In overall terms, this means such content cannot fall below 60 percent of a channel’s total monthly telecast. Complaints will trigger a review by a designated committee, and persistent violations could result in the channel being taken off the platform.
Applications must be submitted online via the Prasar Bharati portal by 9 March, 2026, at 15:00 hours. Broadcasters will need to pay a non refundable processing fee of Rs 25,000 and a participation fee of Rs 3 lakh, along with submitting mandatory documents such as MIB permissions, channel logos and proof of carriage on other DTH or MSO platforms.
Successful bidders will be required to stick to a strict payment calendar. Delays will attract interest at 14.5 percent per annum, and repeated defaults could lead to forfeiture of the participation fee and removal from DD Free Dish.
As India’s only free to air DTH platform with massive reach, DD Free Dish continues to be a crucial gateway, especially in regional markets. With e-Auction 97, Prasar Bharati is once again reshuffling the platter and the industry is watching closely to see who gets served next.
