DTH
Sun Direct provides enhanced web experience
MUMBAI: Sun Direct, the leading DTH player in the South has been at the forefront in delivering value for money services. Adding to their plethora of services, Sun Direct has re-designed their website which provides ease of usage. Customers can log on to www.sundirect.in to get updates about on-going offers, new connections and recharge options.
With the revamped website, Sun Direct goes a step closer to users by offering them quick and intuitive access to all the packages. The redesigned website alsoenables users to skim through the range of packages available and helps them to select best packages for their taste. Not stopping at this, the website alsofeatures the content available on HD channels.
Sun Direct has enhanced the look and feel of the new website. Now subscribers can also use the ‘My Account’ page to add any channels of their interest which is available in Sun Direct in just few clicks. The website has more intuitive user-focused design that presents the important information in one place.
Commenting on this initiative Mr. Mahesh Kumar, Managing Director of Sun Direct, said “The revamped website is a part of our on-going effort to make TV viewing, a truly personal and enhancing experience. We are on a constant drive to provide better services and achieve higher level of customer satisfaction”.
About Sun Direct: Sun Direct is one of the leading DTH players in the country with a current subscriber base over 9 million. Sun Direct has the best offering of south regional channels and provides best value for money with world class entertainment. Sun Direct, now also offers the best of Movies & Sports with the new Cinema + Sports packs which boasts of 4 popular sports channels and nonstop movie services in the 4 south Indian languages . Furthermore, Sun Direct offers unlimited video recording on all its SD + and HD connections at no extra cost. Sun Direct value for money pricing, attractive bundling of products and services that appeal to every segment of the customer chain makes it a category leader in the DTH industry. The Brand Equity, Most Trusted Brands Survey, has also named Sun Direct as one of the top 50 service brands in India.
DTH
DD Free Dish e-auction heats up with 26 MPEG-2 slots sold in two days
Hindi movies, GEC and news dominate; Star Utsav Movies tops Day 2 at Rs 213.45 crore
MUMBAI- The bidding war on DD Free Dish is turning into a blockbuster and the slots are selling faster than popcorn at interval. Prasar Bharati’s 8th annual MPEG-2 e-auction delivered another strong day on Tuesday, with 18 more channels securing spots across movies, regional music and news buckets, taking the two-day total to 26.
Day 2 belonged to the movies and news categories. In Bucket A (Hindi Movies), Star Utsav Movies led the pack at Rs 213.45 crore, pipped only narrowly by Zee Action at Rs 213.4 crore. Goldmines landed at Rs 13.35 crore and Zee Anmol at Rs 13.3 crore, showing razor-thin price bands and fierce competition. Bucket B saw Zee Bioscope top at Rs 10.6 crore, Bhojpuri Cinema Rs 10.5 crore, B4U Bhojpuri Rs 10.2 crore, while Showbox, Unique TV and B4U Music each closed at Rs 10.25 crore.
News channels in Bucket C stayed tightly bunched: NDTV, Aaj Bharat, Zee News and India TV all secured slots at Rs 8.6 crore, with News Nation and ABP News slightly higher at Rs 8.65 crore. Bucket D rounded out with Russia Today at Rs 9.75 crore and GTC Punjabi at Rs 7.92 crore.
Day 1 had already set a premium tone, with eight slots snapped up – six in Bucket A+ (Hindi/Urdu GEC, starting reserve Rs 15 crore) and two in Bucket A (Hindi/Urdu Movies, starting Rs 12 crore). Sony PAL topped Day 1 winners at Rs 16.55 crore, Star Utsav Rs 16.25 crore, Shemaroo TV Rs 16.35 crore, Zee Anmol, Colors Rishtey and Sun Neo at Rs 16.40 crore each. Sony WAH took a Bucket A slot at Rs 13.95 crore and Zee Anmol Cinema at Rs 13.45 crore.
The surge reflects broadcasters’ hunger for DD Free Dish’s estimated 43–45 million rural and semi-urban households, where Hindi GEC and movies remain advertising goldmines.
The auction runs under the revised E-auction Methodology 2025 (amended 9 January 2026), with escalating reserves – Round 2 Bucket A+ at Rs 16 crore, Round 3 Bucket A at Rs 13 crore – and stricter eligibility to weed out speculative bids. Channels must be operational, available in the relevant language, and already carried on at least one private DTH, DD Free Dish or registered MSO.
With premium genres flying off the shelf, the coming rounds will test how deep pockets really are as reserves climb and tactical down-bidding gets harder. In India’s largest free-to-air universe, these auctions aren’t just about slots – they’re about who gets to stay on the screen that reaches deepest into the heartland.
