Mumbai: Despite ongoing speculation about leading broadcasters planning to withdraw from DD Free Dish, the first day of the MPEG-2 e-auction witnessed key General Entertainment Channels (GECs) securing slots on the free-to-air (FTA) platform.
JioStar’s Colors Rishtey, Sony’s Sony Pal, and Sun TV’s newly launched Sun Neo have successfully acquired slots in the high-stakes auction. Sony Pal and Colors Rishtey, which were recently classified as “pay” channels in the revised Reference Interconnect Offer (RIO), have each secured one slot on DD Free Dish for the upcoming financial year.
Sources indicate that Prasar Bharati has generated over ₹50 crore on the first day of the auction from the sale of Bucket A+ slots, which include Hindi and Urdu GECs. The e-auction, which began on Monday, has already surpassed last year’s first-day earnings, signaling a strong demand for DD Free Dish slots.
The channels secured their slots at competitive bidding prices:
- Sony Pal – ₹18.55 crore
- Colors Rishtey – ₹18.35 crore
- Sun Neo – ₹18.5 crore
This marks a 20% premium over last year’s ₹15 crore base price, reflecting increased competition among broadcasters for FTA reach. The slots have been allocated for the period April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.
The auction follows a structured classification system for slot allocation:
- Bucket A+: Hindi/Urdu GECs
- Bucket A: Hindi/Urdu Movie channels
- Bucket B: Hindi/Urdu Music and Sports channels, Bhojpuri channels, and other Hindi/Urdu content
- Bucket C: Hindi/Urdu News and Current Affairs channels
- Bucket D: Devotional, Spiritual, Marathi, Punjabi, English News, and other regional language channels (excluding Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, and Punjabi)
- Bucket R: Regional language channels, except Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, and Punjabi
This structured approach ensures equitable representation of diverse content genres and languages.
The auction takes place against the backdrop of a regulatory dispute. As per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) directive issued on July 8, 2024, any pay-TV channel opting for DD Free Dish must become free-to-air (FTA) across all platforms. Major broadcasters, including Star, Sony, and Colors, initially challenged this ruling, but the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) refused to grant a stay, making compliance mandatory.
While speculation of an exit loomed, the latest auction results suggest that leading broadcasters still see value in the reach and audience penetration of DD Free Dish, particularly in rural and semi-urban markets.
With the auction set to continue, industry stakeholders will closely watch how other categories perform in the coming days.
