Mumbai: Prasar Bharati has concluded the 8th annual (94th) e-auction of MPEG-2 slots on DD Free Dish, awarding 55 channels carriage on India’s largest free-to-air DTH platform for the period April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027. The public broadcaster’s total collections from the auction stood at ₹642 crore, marking a notable decline from the ₹780 crore garnered in the previous cycle, when 61 slots had been sold.
The latest auction slate spans a ensuring diverse mix of genres—including general entertainment, films, news, devotional and regional offerings—reflecting DD Free Dish’s continued positioning as a mass-reach platform for Hindi-speaking and regional markets. Among the general entertainment winners are Sony Pal, Star Utsav, Colors Rishtey, Dangal, Dangal 2, The Q, Nazara, Shemaroo TV, Shemaroo Umang, and the Manoranjan bouquet comprising Manoranjan TV, Manoranjan Grand and Manoranjan Movies.
Hindi news broadcasters also secured a strong presence on the free-to-air ecosystem, with channels such as Aaj Tak, ABP News, NDTV India, Zee News, Republic TV Bharat, India TV, News18 India, News Nation, Times Now Navbharat, TV9 Bharatvarsh, News 24 Think First and Good News Today among the successful bidders.
The movies and music segment features B4U Movies, B4U Music, Action Cinema, Bhojpuri Cinema, B4U Bhojpuri, Zee Biskope, Goldmines, Goldmines Bollywood and Goldmines Movies, underscoring the sustained demand for film-led content on free-to-air platforms. The list also includes devotional networks such as Aastha, Sanskar and Sadhna Gold, alongside international news channel RT and Punjabi broadcasters PTC Punjabi and PTC News.
Despite the lower revenue and reduced number of slots this year, DD Free Dish remains a critical distribution avenue for broadcasters targeting price-sensitive audiences and non-pay TV households, particularly across Hindi heartland and regional markets. The annual e-auction continues to serve as a key barometer of the free-to-air television economy, signalling both channel demand and broader advertising-led monetisation potential in India’s mass TV segment.
