DTH
Zee looking at July launch for DTH services?
NEW DELHI: Subhash Chandra companies Zee Telefilms and ASC Enterprises (which is implementing the Agrani satellite project), are preparing to launch a KU-band direct-to-home television service in India. A tentative timeframe that is being talked about for this within the group is July.
According to broadcasting industry sources, the Zee-Agrani combo has started talking about a DTH service for India. At a seminar held last week in the Capital, a senior Zee executive is also reported to have referred to the DTH service and that the group is looking at putting together a platform by “July or thereabouts”.
However, indiantelevision.com’s attempt to elicit an official response from Zee-Agrani was met with silence.
But, we also learn from government sources that the files relating to the two applicant companies for a DTH licence were in the information and broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad’s office yesterday and the minister is said to have studied them also.
That Zee-Agrani has started talking about a DTH service may also be because of the movements in the ministry and expect an initial go-ahead from the I&B ministry for this soon.
As the first step towards okaying a DTH venture the I&B ministry would need to issue a letter of intent (LoI) to the applicant, subsequent to which other parameters would have to be fulfilled.
But close on Chandra’s heel for a DTH venture will also be Star, which has applied for a DTH licence through Space TV. It would also expect a LoI soon after ASC Enterprises that has applied for the licence, if not along with it.
There have been numerous clarifications sought by the ministry on various aspects of Space TV, including its shareholding pattern. At last count, a particular missive from the ministry had sought clarification on whether some directors of Space TV were employees of Star India.
Still, the big question to ask here could be: do the two prospective DTH players have the financial muscle to make investments in a DTH venture? A typical DTH venture would need investments worth between $ 400-500 million.
Unless Space TV is being backed up by the Rupert Murdoch-controlled Star, the little known company with an acknowledged paid up capital of Rs 100 million would find it difficult to cobble together the massive investment that a DTH venture would require.
Chandra’s case may be a bit different as the DTH platform is being sought to be put together by ASC Enterprises, where one of the subsidiaries has managed to attract foreign investment from Alcatel and Arianespace.
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.
