DTH
Dish TV introduces ‘Ayushmaan Active’ service for senior citizens
MUMBAI: Dish TV India Limited, world’s largest single-country DTH Company, introduces the first-of-its-kind value added service- ‘Ayushmaan Active’ in association with Dominiche Productions to offer unique and engaging content to the senior citizen viewers on both of its brands; DishTV and d2h. Exclusively available on both the platforms for 45 days starting July 16th, this is the first ever service dedicated to engage and motivate seniors and enjoy meaningful TV time.
Empowering senior citizens to take charge of their lives and make informed decisions, the service provides users to scroll through nostalgic music, Bollywood movies and knowledge on healthy living and wellness. Under the ‘Ayushmaan Active’ service, senior citizens will have access to shows like Bhakti Bhav, Aap Ka Sathi, Kick Start 60 and Majani life.Further, to make weekends exciting for binge watching, the service brings special series of Sada Bahar Geet on every Saturday and Sunday along with a classic movie from the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s era. With ad free 24*7 service platform, Dish TV aims to bring zest amongst senior citizens by offering shows across genres from devotional and entertainment to financial planning, wellness and philosophical.
Announcing the new service, Mr. Anil Dua, Executive Director & Group CEO, Dish TV India Limited, said, “Being the leader in the DTH industry, we aim at providing engaging content for our viewers, irrespective of their age. Therefore, we are excited to offer the ‘Ayushmaan Active’ service, which will cater to the viewing needs of the senior citizens. This service will be a one-stop destination of all the content, which will keep our senior viewers entertained, motivated and updated. This service/ addition stands as a witness to Dish TV’s continuous drive to cater to all sections of its wide range of viewers.”
Adarsh Gupta, Director, Dominiche Productions, said, “Dominiche was founded with a vision to be the market leader in scalable genres of the future. In keeping with that strategy, our second genre after Astrology is going to cater to exclusive compelling content created with the objective of enhancing the quality of life of Senior Citizens in our country. This category is fast speeding towards being 20 percent of the population of India and growing, with no dedicated content machine catering to it.”
Ayushmaan Active’ service will be available on channel no. 130 on Dish TV and d2h at a nominal subscription price of Rs.40+ taxes per month post applicable free preview period.
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.
