DTH
Zee’s Dish DTH service to have 100 channels by April-end
NEW DELHI: Having managed to gain a toehold in the market, Dish TV, the first KU-band DTH service in the country, is now looking at expanding its market share through some aggressive marketing and wooing of subscribers by almost doubling the number of channels available on the platform.
Dish TV is all set to add 50 more channels to the platform taking the tally to 100 by April end. Contacted by indiantelevision.com, Essel Group spokesperson Ashish Kaul confirmed the development.
Dish TV is the brand name under which Subhash Chandra’s companies, ASC Enterprises Ltd. (the licence holder) and Zee Telefilms (responsible for implementation) have launched the DTH service. A new entity, called New Era Entertainment, too has been formed to look after the marketing of the service.
At present, a Dish TV subscriber gets 50 channels with ESPN and Star Sports being the last two channels to be added to the list last month. The other channels are pre-dominantly from the Zee Turner bouquet with Dish TV leveraging Zee Telefilms vast film library by launching several movie channels on the DTH platform, including Zee Classic (old Hindi films), FX Movies (English action movies), Premier Movies and Smile TV (mostly comedy-oriented sitcoms and films).
Though aggressive marketing has not been a USP of Dish TV till now, but with the addition of new channels from April end, a marketing blitzkrieg has also been lined up to beef up the overall communication and marketing strategy.
However, with the introduction of two sports channel on the DTH platform, the monthly subscription for Dish TV too would see a hike to approximately Rs 220 from the existing Rs 100 per month.
At the moment, the Dish TV service is beamed via transponders on Insat satellites. But with the commissioning of ASC Enterprises own satellite under the Agrani project, slated for later this year the platform is expected to move on to Agrani. In the Agrani project, global majors Alcatel and Arianespace together have 13 per cent equity stake in Agrani satellite Services Ltd., a subsidiary of ASC Enterprises Ltd. Having invested close to $ 20 million. The deal with Arianespace was signed in 2002.
The Agrani satellite project is estimated to cost around Rs 11.5 billion, including pre-operative costs and finance costs. Financial institutions and banks have committed Rs 6.500 billion debt for the project with a 1.4:1 debt equity ratio.
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.
