New Delhi: Prasar Bharati, India’s public broadcaster, is inviting applications from satellite TV channels to fill vacant MPEG-2 slots on its free Direct-to-Home (DTH) platform, DD Free Dish. The e-auction, provisionally set for August 28th, 2024, will allocate slots for the duration from September 5th, 2024, to March 31st, 2025.
Satellite TV channels will be grouped into various categories based on their genre and language for the allocation process. These categories include Hindi/Urdu General Entertainment Channels (GECs), movie channels, sports channels, and regional language channels such as Marathi and Punjabi. There will also be a separate category for other genres not specifically listed, which encompasses English news channels and devotional channels.
Prasar Bharati has established minimum reserve prices for each category, with the highest starting price set at Rs. 12,10,96,000 for Hindi/Urdu General Entertainment Channels (Bucket A+). The reserve prices for the other categories range from Rs. 7,57,92,000 to Rs. 10,79,90,000.
Only satellite channels licensed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) are eligible to participate in the e-auction. Detailed auction methodology and eligibility criteria can be found on the Prasar Bharati website. Broadcasters seeking a slot on DD Free Dish must provide clear evidence supporting their channel’s genre and language classification. Applications with unclear or conflicting information will be deemed ineligible and rejected.
This auction provides private TV channels with an opportunity to reach a broad audience via DD Free Dish, India’s sole free DTH platform. Currently, the platform serves over 38 million households, offering substantial reach for participating channels.
