DTH
Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend to air on Colors on 10 July
MUMBAI: The most awaited Bollywood extravaganza, Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend is all set to woo the viewers with its official television telecast. The evening of glitz and glamour brought together by Videocon and IIFA has raised the heat for its viewers with some mind blowing and scintillating performances. Hosts Shahid Kapoor and multi-talented Farhan Akhtar took the audience on a laughter riot with their everlasting wit and humor. From the glamorous stars that graced the green carpet to the crazy fans following for selfies, it truly was an affair to remember.
In its 8-year long-standing relationship, Videocon and IIFA have been growing from strength to strength, delivering nothing but excellence. Right from their inception, both have striven to deliver the best to a larger spectrum of audience. Both believe in constant innovation, adding variety and evolving in the field of entertainment.
Speaking on the occasion Videocon director Anirudh Dhoot, Director said, “It is an honor for us to present the IIFA Weekend for the 8th consecutive year. Videocon and IIFA share a bond that strengthens with each passing year. We look forward to adding many more years of togetherness and constant innovation, bringing in variety and evolving in the field of entertainment.”
This year at IIFA Weekend, Videocon showcased its commitment to deliver the best of technologies. Familiarizing the audience to its latest offering, heartthrob Fawad Khan and Karan Johar introduced the audience to Videocon Aryabot. The first Satellite AC, Aryabot runs on a platform that enables the device to align itself to one’s usage patterns and preferences, surveillances home and office premises, talks out the commands to the AC, and keeps check on power consumption on its own, besides various other intelligent features like auto-trouble shooting and auto call logging to the nearest service center.
Watch the action on Colors on 10 July, 18:00 hrs onwards.
List of the IIFA Award Winners
• Best Story- Juhi Chaturvedi from Piku
• Best Performance in a Leading role (Male) Award – Ranveer Singh from Bajirao Mastani
• Best Performance in a Leading Role (Female) Award – Deepika Padukone from Piku
• Best Direction- Sanjay Leela Bhansali from Bajirao Mastani
• Best Picture- Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Producers – Salman Khan, Rockline Venkatesh
• Debut Male- Vicky Kaushal for Masaan
• Debut Female- Bhoomi Pednekar for Dum Laga Ke Haisha
• Best Lyric Writer: – Varun Grover for Dum laga Ke Haisha in the film Moh Moh Ke Dhaage
• Best Female Playback Singer Award is Monali Thakur for Dum Laga Ke Haisha for the film Moh Moh Ke Dhaage
• Best Male Playback Singer Award: is Papon for Moh Moh Ke Dhaage in the film Moh Moh Ke Dhaage
• Best Music Direction- ‘Roy’ Meet Bros, Anjjan, Ankit Tiwari, Amaal Mallik
• Best Cinematography: Sudeep Chatterjee for Bajirao Mastani
• Best Screenplay: Kabir Khan, Parveez Shaikh, V. Vijayendra Prasad for Bajrangi Bhaijaan
• Best Editing: A Sreekar Prasad for Talvar
• Best Performance in a Comic Role Award: – Male Deepak Dobriyal from Tanu Weds Manu Returns
• Best Performance in Negative role Award – Darshan Kumar for NH 10
• IIFA Jodi of the Year- Athiya Shetty & Sooraj Pancholi
• Best Performance in a Supporting role (Male) Award – Anil Kapoor from Dil Dhadakne Do
• Best Performance in a Supporting role (Female) Award: – Priyanka Chopra from Bajirao Mastani
• IIFA Woman of the Year- Priyanka Chopra
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.
