DTH
DishTV launches ‘Aapla Manoranjan’ for marathi Viewers
MUMBAI: Dish TV, Asia’s largest DTH brand, has partnered with Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd., one of India’s leading filmed entertainment content house to launch Marathi regional value added services for its valued Marathi audience. A 24-hour Marathi service ‘Aapla Manoranjan’ is now available at Channel number 1232 on DishTV platform. With the launch of this new service, customers can now enjoy the complete Ad-Free and 24X7 Marathi Service packed with Movies, Plays and Songs.
‘Aapla Manoranjan’, DishTV’s new regional offering is now available to the subscriber on free preview of 15 days. The viewers can continue to enjoy amazing Marathi content with a nominal subscription price of Rs 38 + GST.
The full entertainment package includes Marathi Songs, legendry Plays and two Marathi movies every day. In addition to this, every Sunday there will be a world satellite TV premiere of a newly released movie which hasn’t been telecasted on any satellite channel like Bus Top, Paisa Paisa & Suagr, Salt aani Prem on this service.
Speaking on the initiative DishTV, Senior vice president-Marketing, Mr. Sukhpreet Singh said: “We’re committed to provide the best of entertainment to our viewers across all regions. With an overall bouquet of 600+channels & services and with this new regional service offering, we’re excited to bring the best content and excellent TV viewing experience to our Marathi audience. The addition of ‘Aapla Manoranjan’ will cater to the needs of our Marathi subscribers across India for complete entertainment in their preferred language.”
Shemaroo Entertainment Limited – Director, Hiren Gada said, “We are pleased to associate with Dishtv and bring to the viewers Aapla Manorjan, a premium marathi content service that will air the finest of marathi films, songs and even theatre. It will be fueled by Shemaroo’s rich and exhaustive library of content and programming prowess. Marathi cinema with its thematic diversity, technical excellence and high production values has made a mark for itself in the industry and amongst cinema lovers. We are sure that this new offering will thoroughly be enjoyed by the viewers of Dishtv”.
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.
