DTH
Ticket to fun and learning with DishTV
MUMBAI: These summer vacations for your kids will not be the same as; DishTV, Asia’s largest Direct to home service provider has announced yet another interesting initiative “Summer ticket- Apna fun adda” customized specially for your kids.
With DishTV’s summer ticket, your kids will not only just play games on our platform but can get completely delighted with the plethora of exciting kids movies, shows, stories and rhymes. DishTV is showcasing some really adorable kid’s stories such as Tina & the magical Alphabets, Jungle Tales and much more; programmes such as Rhyme time, Fruit Salad; rhymes and a movie (which will be showcased twice a day) on Kids box office (Channel No 248) this week and will continue to showcase it for the next 2 Months (60 days) for its children viewers. This special ticket will be available only for the active subscribers for a period of 60 days at a price of just Rs.9/ per month.
Summer Ticket:
The idea emerges from the consumer insight that children love to watch their favorite movies, recite rhymes, and love to watch shows and animations, once they like it. Hence kids in DishTV owning homes will now have the utter indulgence of enjoying unlimited and non-stop viewing of the kids’ movies on offer. DishTV’s gaming portal Playin TV has also offer 20 international games this summer with 2 new games getting added every month and a consumer friendly navigation and game selection menu, also now available on air.
Speaking on this initiative, DishTV chief executive officer Arun Kapoor said, “DishTV has always been a consumer friendly brand. All our previous offers have also been the result of in-depth consumer research and feedback. It gives us great pleasure to see it all result into the fast paced growth of our DishTV family. We would always work towards ensuring maximum possible value to our subscribers by launching such great offers in the future as well. DishTV “Summer ticket” is yet another innovation for existing as well as new DishTV subscribers, with non-stop indoor entertainment for kids at a cost equal to just Rs. 9 per month. Parents needs not worry about their kids playing outdoors this summer; Just get home a DishTV and keep them happily occupied, having loads of fun, with so much entertainment at their fingertips. So children and parents alike can have the coolest summer with 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.
