Prasar Bharati announces 102nd DD Free Dish e-auction for MPEG-4 slots

NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati has invited applications for its 102nd e-auction for vacant MPEG-4 slots on the DD Free Dish platform for the six-month period from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.

The mid-year e-auction is tentatively scheduled to begin on 24 September and will be conducted under the e-auction Methodology 2025 notified by Prasar Bharati on 3 January 2025, along with amendments issued on 9 January.

Only satellite TV channels permitted and licensed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will be eligible to participate. International public broadcasters permitted and licensed by the ministry can also apply.

Prasar Bharati has divided eligible channels into five categories based on genre and language. G1 covers News & Current Affairs channels, while G2 includes Non-News & Current Affairs channels.

The regional categories comprise R1 for Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam channels; R2 for Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali and Odia channels; and R3 for other regional languages listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution, excluding Hindi and Urdu.

The auction will be conducted in the order G1, G2, R2, R3 and R1.

The G1 round has a reserve price of Rs 39.83 lakh, with a bid increment of Rs 1 lakh. G2 will start at Rs 36.40 lakh, also with a Rs 1 lakh increment.

R2 will have a reserve price of Rs 21.56 lakh and a Rs 50,000 increment, while R3 will start at Rs 3.31 lakh. The final R1 round will have a reserve price of Rs 3 lakh, with a Rs 50,000 increment.

Broadcasters will have to provide clear evidence supporting the declared genre and language of their channels. Applications may be rejected if the information submitted is ambiguous or conflicting.

At least 75 per cent of the content telecast on a channel must be in its declared genre and language, excluding advertisements and promos within the prescribed limits. The declared genre and language content must also account for at least 60 per cent of the channel’s total content in a month.

Prasar Bharati will examine alleged violations through a duly constituted committee. Channels found to be in default may receive a show-cause notice and an opportunity to apply for a change in genre or language within the prescribed timeframe.

If no such request is made, Prasar Bharati can initiate the process to discontinue the channel from its DD Free Dish slot.

The final allotment will remain subject to the 2025 e-auction methodology, auction notice and agreement between Prasar Bharati and the successful channel.