DTH
What makes Harit Nagpal’s Adapt tome great to look at, not just read
MUMBAI: Just got my hands on Tata Play CEO Harit Nagpal’s tome Adapt – to Thrive, not just survive. I must say better late than never. It appears to be an amazing read. But a lot has been written about what we as managers can learn from his stories about challenges and how to overcome them.
I don’t know if a lot has been written about how the book looks, that is, its striking art work and cover design. At least, I could not locate it despite a lot of deep google searches.
The cover design is by Westland (the publisher of the book) design head Saurabh Garge who has been behind some of the gee-whiz looks of books that it brings out.
To begin with, the visual metaphor Saurabh has used aligns seamlessly with the book’s exploration of how businesses must evolve to thrive in dynamic environments.
A large part of the cover is dominated by a curled tail of a chameleon, a reptile renowned for its adaptative capabilities. The animal’s tail has a myriad of colours showing its ability to change quickly (probably in micro-seconds) depending on its environment and the threat to its survival and thriving. The design employs a clean and minimalist aesthetic, ensuring that the chameleon remains the focal point, thereby reinforcing the book’s message of strategic adaptation.
Similarly, corporations too have to be agile and quick to adapt to the crazily-spinning almost-out-of-control and ever-changing dynamic environment. 
Also, the color scheme of the book title from cool colour like the blue green to the warmer yellows and oranges to the hot red clearly elucidates the cycle that organisations need to go through from start up to maturity wherein sales become red hot. And they also become noticeable. The same colour gradient has been followed at the back of the book and even in the spine with the title now going clean white.
Overall, the cover design is both visually appealing and thematically resonant, effectively conveying the book’s focus on the importance of adaptability in achieving business success.
(Adapt – To Thrive, Not just Survive by Harit Nagpal, pp 213, publisher Westland Books, price Rs 599. To buy the book click here)
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.
