New Delhi: Prasar Bharati has invited applications from eligible private satellite television channels for the mid-year 101st e-auction of vacant MPEG-4 slots on its free-to-air direct-to-home (DTH) platform, DD Free Dish, offering broadcasters another opportunity to secure carriage on one of India’s largest television distribution platforms.
According to a notice issued on July 15, 2026, the allotment will be valid from August 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, while the online bidding process is scheduled to commence on July 23, 2026.
The e-auction is open to satellite television channels holding valid uplinking and downlinking permissions from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), along with eligible international public broadcasters licensed by the ministry.
The auction will be conducted under Prasar Bharati’s E-auction Methodology 2025, along with subsequent amendments notified earlier this year. The public broadcaster has retained its bucket-based allocation framework, which classifies channels according to language and genre.
Five bidding categories
The vacant MPEG-4 slots have been divided into five bidding buckets:
- R1: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam channels that are already operational and available on at least one private DTH platform, DD Free Dish or a registered multi-system operator (MSO).
- R2: Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali and Odia channels meeting similar eligibility norms.
- R3: Other regional language channels listed under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, excluding Hindi and Urdu.
- G1: News and Current Affairs channels.
- G2: Non-News and Current Affairs channels.
Regional channels applying under the R1, R2 and R3 categories must furnish documentary evidence establishing their eligibility, including proof of platform availability where applicable. All applicants are also required to provide supporting documents confirming the declared language and genre of their channels. Prasar Bharati has stated that applications with ambiguous or conflicting documentation may be declared ineligible.
Reserve prices and bidding structure
The broadcaster has prescribed separate reserve prices for each bidding category during the first round.
The reserve price has been fixed at Rs 53.18 lakh for G1 (News) channels and Rs 48.60 lakh for G2 (Non-News) channels, with a minimum bid increment of Rs 1 lakh in both categories.
For regional language channels, the reserve prices are:
- R2: Rs 28.78 lakh
- R3: Rs 4.41 lakh
- R1: Rs 4 lakh
The minimum bid increment for all regional categories has been fixed at Rs 50,000.
Prasar Bharati said eligibility will evolve across successive bidding rounds, allowing unsuccessful bidders from higher categories to participate in subsequent eligible rounds, while successful bidders will not be permitted to bid again.
Participation fee and documentation
Applicants are required to pay a non-refundable online processing fee of Rs 25,000 along with a participation fee of Rs 3 lakh before submitting their applications. For applicants under the R1 and R3 categories, the participation fee will be 60% of the applicable reserve price or Rs 3 lakh, whichever is lower.
The application must be accompanied by documents including MIB uplinking and downlinking permissions, proof of channel logo approval, genre and language classification, programme schedules, platform availability documents, PAN, GST registration, authorised signatory documents, an undertaking, an authorisation letter and a signed Integrity Pact.
Stricter content compliance
Prasar Bharati has also tightened compliance requirements relating to programming commitments.
Successful bidders must ensure that their channels continue to broadcast predominantly in their declared language and genre throughout the allotment period. The undertaking requires that at least 75% of a channel’s programming, excluding advertisements and promotional content, conforms to its declared language and genre. This effectively translates to not less than 60% of the total monthly broadcast content.
Any complaints regarding deviation from the declared language or genre will be examined by a committee constituted by Prasar Bharati. If violations are established, channels may receive notices, be required to seek prior approval for language or genre changes, or face discontinuation from DD Free Dish if corrective measures are not taken.
Key timelines and payment conditions
Applications must be submitted through Prasar Bharati’s online portal by 3 pm on July 21, 2026. Where participation fees are paid through demand draft, the original instrument, along with the prescribed documents, must reach Doordarshan Bhawan, New Delhi, by the same deadline.
Prasar Bharati will organise online training sessions for eligible bidders before the commencement of the auction.
Successful bidders will receive a Letter of Allotment and must execute the agreement within 15 days. Payments must be made according to the prescribed schedule, with overdue amounts attracting 14.5% annual interest.
The broadcaster has stated that failure to clear dues despite notice may result in forfeiture of the participation fee and deposited instalments, discontinuation of the channel from DD Free Dish, and re-auction of the vacated slot. Channels that fail to commence services within one month of the allotment date also risk cancellation of the allotment and forfeiture of deposits.
Prasar Bharati has further reserved the right to amend, reject or cancel the auction process at any stage. Participation fees of unsuccessful bidders will be refunded within three weeks of the declaration of auction results.
