New Delhi: India’s free-to-air satellite platform DD Free Dish has recorded robust demand across genres in the first two days of its 8th annual MPEG-2 e-auctions, with general entertainment (GEC) and Hindi movie channels driving the sharpest bids while news, regional and music remained competitively priced.
A total of 26 MPEG-2 slots were allocated across Buckets A+, A, B, C and D, with leading broadcasters including JioStar, Zee, Sony and Sun Network expanding their FTA footprint.
GEC leads Day 1 premiums
The opening day saw intense competition in Bucket A+ (Hindi/Urdu GEC; reserve ₹15 crore). Sony PAL emerged the top bidder at ₹16.55 crore, followed by Zee Anmol, Colors Rishtey and Sun Neo at ₹16.40 crore each. Shemaroo TV closed at ₹16.35 crore, while Star Utsav secured capacity at ₹16.25 crore — underscoring sustained advertiser interest in mass-reach entertainment on DD Free Dish.
In Bucket A (Hindi/Urdu Movies; reserve ₹12 crore) on Day 1, Sony WAH secured a slot at ₹13.95 crore and Zee Anmol Cinema at ₹13.45 crore.
Hindi movie cluster tightens on Day 2
Momentum continued into Day 2 in the Hindi Movies bucket, where four channels closed within a narrow ₹0.15-crore band. Star Utsav Movies led at ₹13.45 crore, followed by Zee Action at ₹13.40 crore, Goldmines at ₹13.35 crore and Zee Anmol at ₹13.30 crore — reflecting intense competition for movie inventory on the platform.
Regional and music bids cluster around ₹10–10.6 crore
Bucket B (regional and music) saw bids ranging between ₹10.2 crore and ₹10.6 crore. Zee Bioscope topped the category at ₹10.6 crore, followed by Bhojpuri Cinema at ₹10.5 crore. B4U Bhojpuri closed at ₹10.2 crore, while Showbox, Unique TV and B4U Music each secured slots at ₹10.25 crore.
News pricing remains aligned
In Bucket C (Hindi News), pricing remained tightly packed, with NDTV, Aaj Bharat, Zee News and India TV each closing at ₹8.6 crore. News Nation and ABP News edged slightly higher at ₹8.65 crore.
Bucket D saw Russia Today secure capacity at ₹9.75 crore, while GTC Punjabi closed at ₹9.2 crore.
FTA reach continues to attract broadcasters
The results highlight sustained broadcaster appetite for DD Free Dish’s large rural and semi-urban reach, particularly for GEC and movie channels that depend on mass audiences and ad-led monetisation. At the same time, the relatively narrower spread in news, regional and music bids indicates a mature pricing equilibrium in those genres on the free-to-air platform.
With two days of auctions completed, the pricing trend suggests that entertainment content — especially GEC and Hindi movies — continues to command premium valuations in India’s FTA television ecosystem.
