DTH
Watcho revamps its user-generated content offering; launches Watcho Swag
KOLKATA: Dish TV India’s OTT platform, Watcho, the home-grown online video streaming app has gained immense popularity in the country through its fresh short format content and its overall bouquet of offerings. Watcho has been enthralling the viewers with exclusive or original shows, linear TV and user-generated content. And now the platform has taken a step ahead by revamping its user-generated content offering and has relaunched it as Watcho Swag.
Watcho is one of the industry’s firsts to have identified the huge talent pool of creators in India. It provides a unique platform for creators to produce quality content in multiple formats – short to very short videos and short films. Watcho Swag helps these creators to grow their fan base and get gratifications. Earlier on, the brand had collaborated with top-level higher educational institutes to provide a creative platform to young students. It helped these budding filmmakers get exposure to not only a large audience but also gave momentum to Watcho in the user-generated content ecosystem.
The newly revamped offering now positions Watcho Swag as a complete TalentHub for these budding creators. Watcho Swag runs weekly contests across genres like singing, dancing, gardening, acting, reading, cooking, etc. In addition, the best-selected entry can also get a chance to feature in Watcho Originals.
Commenting on the new service, Dish TV India Ltd executive director and group CEO Anil Dua said, “We are delighted to launch 'Watcho Swag' as we continue to upgrade the offerings of Watcho to increase customer engagement and meet their demands. With a mission to uncover hidden young talent, Watcho Swag allows the users to create and showcase content on this unique platform which offers them exposure to our large existing base. Watcho Swag will not only promote creative minds who post their content on Watcho Swag but also gratify them with rewards and bigger opportunities.”
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.
