DTH
Videocon d2h expands its business in the south
MUMBAI: It may have entered the market when all its competitors had successfully established themselves in the segment, but the direct-to-home (DTH) player Videocon d2h within five years have made its own space. It recently crossed the 10 million subscribers mark and now it is entering the south India market.
The company aims to consolidate its leadership position in the DTH market with this move. Thus, it has rejigged its south silver pack that comprises the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada language channels at just Rs 176 per month. With more than 50 new channels, the pack now has 306 channels in total including Sun Life, Gemini Life, Reporter TV, Udaya News, Gemini News, Colors, Life OK, CNBC TV 18, ET Now, Zee Khana Khazana, Zee Q, Bloomberg TV, CNN, History and Animal Planet.
Videocon group Director Saurabh Dhoot said “We always strive to provide the best to our consumers and in this endeavor we have been continuously adding new channels and services. With growing demand from consumers for their own language channels, we are definitely on the right track.”
Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera further added, “The inclusion of more than 50 channels in our base pack, South Silver will definitely give us an edge over other DTH players in the highly competitive South market. Viewing preferences are very important for us and we ensure every effort to provide more content for customers suiting their needs. We believe that this new packaging strategy will definitely work for us.”
The south market is currently dominated by the Sun group’s DTH service Sun Direct. Sun Direct offers its base pack with about 100 south channels for Rs 155.
Videocon d2h now has 489 channels & services on its platform including 27 HD Channels and services with 4 Sun Network HD channels like Sun TV HD, KTV HD, Sun Music HD & Gemini TV HD.
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.
