DTH
Tata Sky and UNICEF join hands to promote ‘Child-Friendly Schools and Systems’
MUMBAI: Tata Sky, the leading Direct-to-home service provider in the country and UNICEF today announced their joint initiative to promote quality learning in a protective environment using the ‘Child-Friendly Schools and Systems’ (CFSS) package.
Supporting the UNICEF cause, Tata Sky will offer its platform to raise funds from subscribers facilitating the CFSS package. Tata Sky subscribers would be able to donate either Rs. 20/- or Rs. 50/- per recharge by simply giving a missed call on the two numbers (090154 90154 and 09015690156 respectively) allotted specifically for this cause.
With the launch of this three month long initiative, Tata Sky reinforced its philosophy, of focusing on creating a platform for children’s educational and holistic development. For Tata Sky, supporting UNICEF’s program on improving the quality of learning in a protective environment is another step in that direction.
“This initiative is an enabler as it leverages the wide outreach of Tata Sky in remote parts of the country and raises mass awareness on the need for quality education and inclusive learning. It is an opportunity to engage with the growing middle class in India – the majority of Tata Sky’s clientele – to contribute in creating a joyful and conducive school environment for children,” said Louis Georges Arsenault, Representative, UNICEF India.
UNICEF India Celebrity Advocate, Kareena Kapoor Khan will support the communication campaign for the initiative which includes promotional films, mailers, and social media and advocates that every child should have the right to quality education.
Launching the partnership, Kareena Kapoor said, “I recently visited quite a few schools with UNICEF to see child-friendly schools and to meet some of the girls and boys that are benefitting from these programmes. I was inspired to see spaces which are child-friendly. These are places where children are full of joy when they interact with teachers, where children feel safe and secure and where interactive and creative tools are used to ensure that children are happy and learning.”
She added, “Kisi aur ka sapna apnake dekho, achcha lagta hai!” (Own someone else’s dream, it feels good).
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.
