New Delhi: Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has announced that the 91st e-auction for allocating vacant MPEG-2 slots on DD Free Dish will commence on September 18, 2025. The process will determine channel placements on the free DTH service for the period September 27, 2025, to March 31, 2026, on a pro-rata basis.
Licensed television broadcasters, including international public broadcasters cleared by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), are eligible to participate. The deadline for submitting applications, along with participation fee proof, is September 15, 2025, at 3:00 pm.
Reserve prices for the slots vary across genres and languages. Hindi/Urdu GECs (Bucket A+) carry the highest base price at ₹8.3 crore, followed by Hindi/Urdu movie channels at ₹6.62 crore. Other categories include Hindi/Urdu Music, Sports, and Bhojpuri (₹5.63 crore); Hindi/Urdu News (₹4.20 crore); Devotional, Marathi, Punjabi, English News, and re-launched regional channels (₹3.59 crore); while channels in other regional languages (Bucket R) have the lowest entry point at ₹1.52 crore. Notably, Prasar Bharati clarified that if a regional language under Bucket R retains representation for three consecutive years, it will be reclassified under Bucket D from the following year.
Applicants are required to submit proof of valid uplinking and downlinking permissions from MIB, channel logos with supporting approvals, content schedules (past three months for existing channels or a proposed schedule for September–November 2025 for new ones), and certificates validating genre and language. A participation fee of ₹1.5 crore, payable through demand draft or electronic transfer, and a non-refundable processing fee of ₹25,000 via the broadcaster’s portal are mandatory.
In line with the E-auction Methodology 2025, channels must also undertake to maintain at least 75% of content in their declared genre and language, with a minimum of 60% threshold per month. Violations could lead to show-cause notices or even slot cancellation for repeated breaches.
Further, every bidder must sign an Integrity Pact ensuring a corruption-free process. Breaches, including collusion or bribery, may result in disqualification, forfeiture of deposits, termination of contracts, or blacklisting for up to three years. To ensure transparency, Prasar Bharati has engaged Independent External Monitors in consultation with the Central Vigilance Commission.
Successful bidders will be issued allotment letters and payment schedules, after which they must sign a formal agreement within 15 days. Technical arrangements, including provision of an IRD box at Doordarshan’s DTH station in New Delhi, must be completed at least a week before channel placement. Refunds of participation fees for unsuccessful applicants will be processed within three weeks of auction results.
Prasar Bharati has reserved the right to reject or cancel any application at any stage.
