DTH
Videocon d2h’s new brand campaign to feature Parineeti Chopra
NEW DELHI: Top Bollywood actor and talented personality Parineeti Chopra is to be the new face of Videocon d2h and will feature in their upcoming brand campaign that focuses on Indian values.
Through the new campaign, the brand will showcase its innovative and technologically advanced Unlimited Asli HD Recorder and the new Radio Frequency Remote with earphones which assures convenience and comfort for television viewing.
Videocon director Saurabh Dhoot said, “Indian values epitomize our society. They are a part of our lifestyle and culture. Our new brand campaign featuring Parineeti captures some of these sentiments of Indian values and integrates it with our product deliverables. We believe Parineeti is the most appropriate choice to communicate our brand values. With all these unique features, one can attend to others, without missing the action on TV.”
Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera added: “With Videocon d2h, now you can pause your TV, record unlimited content, which means you will not have a problem being interrupted anymore. We are happy to have Parineeti as a part of the Videocon d2h family. In addition to her acting talent, her connect with the Indian masses will definitely help us reach out to our customers. Our main focus is to enhance the customers’ television viewing experience.”
The campaign highlights the solution Videocon d2h will provide its customers with this new product that gives the option of Recording, Pause Live TV, rewind-forward.
“I am very excited and privileged to be part of the Videocon d2h family, India’s fastest growing DTH service. It is a great brand with awesome services like a recording service that they have brought to the Indian consumer at just Re.1 per day and innovations like a RF remote, which you can just plug earphones into and enjoy a private TV viewing experience. What I loved about this campaign is the way in which Indian values are portrayed; it’s quite different and fun. We are all brought up on strong values and so I think it is a nice message to keep Indian values intact. I myself have seen these values disappearing when we are glued to TV. It is a campaign I could really relate to and I think people will as well”, Parineeti Chopra said.
Videocon d2h currently offers 500 Channels and Services which includes 27 Asli “HD” channels & services and a host of regional channels.
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.
