DTH
Verizon, Intel bring online PC gaming to TVs
MUMBAI: US wireless service provider Verizon and chip major Intel have collaborated to enable consumers to play popular PC games on their television sets through IntelViiv technology-based PCs.
This makes the games more enjoyable and accessible than ever before.
The companies will also market a version of PlayLinc, a new game messenger that provides a faster and more entertaining way to enjoy multiplayer games online. PlayLinc, which is free, provides a variety of features, including free private servers, VoIP integration and the ability for players to track when their friends are online and ready to join a game.
Verizon director of new product development Colson Hillier says, “We’re creating a graphics-rich, ’big-screen’ game-playing experience for the entire family. The games that families now enjoy on their PCs will become larger than life, more fun to play and accessible in virtually every room of the house, through linkages between a family’s PC and their TV. This is an extension of Verizon’s commitment to provide customers with the content and service they want, whenever they want it, and however they want to receive it.”
TThe Verizon Games on Demand service enables users to play popular PC games on their TVs through Intel Viiv technology-based PCs running Microsoft Windows XP* Media Center Edition 2005 (MCE). Using a wireless game controller and MCE remote control, consumers can play a broad array of games from the comfort of their favorite couch or easy chair, also referred to as the “10-foot view” of the television set. Consumers can access the service through the Media Center Edition menu system by selecting the service using their remote control.
Verizon Games on Demand combines the power and flexibility of the Intel Viiv technology platform, featuring the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor, with the speed and reliability of Verizon’s broadband networks and the innovation of its growing online gaming services.
Intel’s digital home group VP Kevin Corbett, said”Intel Core 2 Duo processors deliver exceptional PC gaming performance and are the foundation for Intel Viiv technology, which is helping to ignite new digital entertainment experiences. The combination of Intel Viiv technology and Verizon Games on Demand provides consumers with a wide selection of popular gaming experiences for both the PC and the TV, which adds a whole new dimension to online gaming.”
Intel Viiv technology helps connect the PC to the TV and enables consumers to simplify, share and control their games, music and movies with the energy-efficient performance delivered by the Intel Core 2 Duo processor¹. The technology is widely supported by a number of PC and consumer electronics manufacturers, as well as content and service providers such as Verizon.
Verizon Games on Demand features click-and-play access to PC games that appeal to many different gamers, including adults and children. The service was named a Popular Mechanics Editor’s Choice at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show. The service will feature:
* 3-D navigation and launch via the MCE remote control
* Schedule game downloading and prioritize or change the schedule for future game play
* Click-and-play experience with no game installation process
* Wireless gamepad controls that create a console-like playing experience
* Ability to choose games based on rating, genre or other criteria
* Automatic system check to ensure the PC has the necessary drivers and available memory, among other things, to run each game, along with automatic system updates
* Accelerated game downloads to begin playing even before the download is completed
* Graphics that Intel says makes casual game playing as exciting as sophisticated console gaming.
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.
