DTH
Videocon d2h Selects Brocade Ethernet Fabrics to Turbocharge its Data Center Networks
MUMBAI: India’s fastest-growing Direct-To-Home (DTH) satellite broadcaster has selected Brocade® Ethernet fabric solutions to revamp its data center networks. Videocon d2h, a unit of Videocon Industries (BSE: 511389, NSE: VIDEOIND), deployed innovative Brocade VCS® Fabric Technology running on Brocade VDX® switches within its new and existing data centers in order to support continued rapid business growth.
India is the world’s most competitive DTH satellite market with the participation of six private service providers and India’s state-owned TV broadcaster. When Videocon d2h launched its services in 2009, it was last to enter the field, yet it managed to attract more than 10 million subscribers in just over four years, putting it within 30 percent of the much longer-established market leader.
“Thanks to pioneering high-end services—such as full 1080i high-definition channels ,3D programming, PVR, USB PVR, and so on—we’ve been adding around a million new customers a quarter in the recent past ,” said Samir Dhaga, Vice President, IT at Videocon d2h. “With such rapid business growth, there has been an exponential increase in the internal data center traffic. With the 1 Gbps network quickly running out of steam, we had to rapidly embrace newer technologies. We therefore embarked on a program to expand capacity by building a third data center and upgrading our existing infrastructure with an emphasis on high-speed internal networks that would support virtualisation, availability, and manageability.”
Brocade VDX 6720 switches were initially deployed at Videocon D2h’s new data center, which was specifically designed to support virtualisation, with the deployment at the company’s two other facilities following in a second phase. Along with other members of Brocade VDX family, the Brocade VDX 6720 switches feature Brocade VCS Fabric technology, which enables Videocon to “flatten” its data center networks, provide Virtual Machine (VM) mobility without network reconfiguration, and manage the entire fabric more efficiently.
Each fabric operates as a single virtual Ethernet device, which greatly simplifies management. Moreover, the approach eliminates the use of the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), which would otherwise be a serious impediment to virtualised data center performance. The single-layer Ethernet fabric is also highly efficient and resilient, with load-balanced multipathing at Layers 1, 2, and 3 and support for multiple Layer 3 gateways.
“Clearly, a smart networking decision was required in order to address existing and potential bottlenecks arising from the adoption of data center virtualisation. We conducted a thorough study of the available options—including six months of testing—before deciding on Brocade VDX switches as our data center networking platform going forward,” added Samir Dhaga.
“Videocon d2h’s progress has been spectacular, which has necessitated the rapid adoption of next-generation networking technologies to match the business requirements,” said Edgar Dias, regional director for Brocade India. “Brocade Ethernet fabric solutions address Videocon d2h’s entire data center networking needs: extreme speed, scalability, non-stop resiliency, VM-awareness, and automation in terms of manageability.”
Post implementation, Videocon d2h was delighted that Brocade delivered in performance, application integration, connectivity, interoperability, and management integration beyond their expectations. Brocade will be a key technology partner for the implementation of high-speed fabric technologies in their upcoming data centers.
About Brocade Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD) networking solutions help the world’s leading organisations transition smoothly to a world where applications and information reside anywhere. (www.brocade.com) © 2014 Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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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.
