DTH
The Q India premieres on DishTV’s ‘Watcho’
MUMBAI: QYOU Media (TSXV:QYOU; OTCQB: QYOUF) announced its partnership with Watcho, the newly launched OTT platform by India’s largest direct-to-home (DTH) TV operator Dish TV, to bring The Q India’s 24/7 linear stream of digital-first content to its subscribers. This is the fifth distribution deal for The Q India and reinforces the regional appetite for premium short form video content.
India is home to almost half a billion young Indians aged between 20 – 30. Raised in the digital era, this tech-savvy demographic is always connected, always on and wants to consume digital content whenever and wherever they are. Dish TV’s unique OTT platform –Watcho aims to target this high-value age bracket by offering over 1,000 hours of short-form content, including original shows, movies and short films. As part of Watcho’s commitment to offer fresh and dynamic programming that speaks to young Indians, it chose to add The Q India to its line-up.
Akash Tyagi, Head OTT, Dish TV India Limited, said, “What sets Watcho apart from other services is that it was specifically created with young Indians in mind. This generation is actively seeking out exciting content from the internet, and we saw there was a huge opportunity to connect and engage with them more effectively by bringing the very best of it onto one platform. We’re always looking for new ways to make our service as relevant and engaging as possible, and The Q India will enrich our offering by enabling us to showcase some of the most talented influencers and content creators the region has to offer.”
The Q India is a 24/7 linear service featuring premium curated content that launched in December 2017 and is aimed at young Indians. The service has established content partnerships that include some of the most influential and prolific digital content creators in India, including popular web-series: What The Folks and Ms. Malini as well as curated episodes from leading digital production houses in India, such as 101 India, Pocket Aces and Nirvana Digital.
Commenting on the partnership, Curt Marvis, CEO and co-founder of QYOU Media, said, “We’ve always recognized that there is a huge appetite in India for more youth focused programming and services. It is fantastic to see a DTH company like Dish TV aligned with our thinking to create a unique platform with young Indians in mind. Watcho, new OTT platform is building an exciting library of content that focuses on storytelling that’s perfect for multi-platform consumption, so it is a great honor for The Q India to be a part of it. We couldn’t be more excited about Watcho subscribers now being able to benefit from The Q India’s deep ties to the creator community in India and our ability to find, curate, and amplify some of the most exciting digital-first and short-form entertainment creators in India today.”
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.
