DTH
Watcho and Cloud TV switch on seamless entertainment for smart TV viewers
MUMBAI: India’s smart TV experience is about to get a major upgrade as Dish TV’s Watcho joins forces with Cloud Walker’s Cloud TV OS to make premium content more accessible than ever. The collaboration aims to redefine home entertainment, integrating Watcho’s vast catalogue with over 200 smart TV brands, eliminating multiple logins and simplifying access for millions of users.
As the smart TV market in India grows at a CAGR of 13.11 per cent, the demand for seamless, cost-effective entertainment is skyrocketing. This partnership taps into that trend, ensuring Watcho’s content reaches over 18 million users across 6 million devices, bringing together a world of movies, web series, live sports, and more all on one platform.
With Cloud TV OS, Watcho subscribers can log in once and start streaming instantly, without juggling multiple credentials. The interface will also feature personalised recommendations, a ‘continue watching’ option, and exclusive Cloud TV Bundles, offering bundled subscriptions to leading OTT platforms.
Dish TV chief revenue officer Sukhpreet Singh said, “At Dish, we recognize that the future of entertainment lies in seamless, integrated experiences. With smart TVs becoming the preferred screen for digital content, our partnership with Cloud Walker is a strategic step toward making Watcho’s vast content library effortlessly accessible to millions. By embedding Watcho into Cloud TV OS, we are not just expanding our reach—we are redefining how India consumes content, making premium entertainment more intuitive, affordable, and frictionless.”
Cloud TV co-founder & COO Abhijeet Rajpurohit said, “We’re thrilled to partner with DishTV Watcho under CloudTV Bundle, making premium entertainment more accessible than ever. With Watcho’s vast content library now integrated into 200 plus TV brands, over 12 million viewers can seamlessly access to top OTT platforms all through a single subscription.”
With Cloud Walker serving over 10 million users, this collaboration positions Dish TV Watcho at the forefront of India’s evolving connected TV landscape. As more consumers shift towards Connected TV (CTV), this move ensures that Watcho remains a key player in the industry.
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.
