In a significant development, public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has amassed ₹208.10 crore within just two days of its ongoing DD FreeDish MPEG-2 slot e-auction. This surge in revenue is primarily attributed to the return of major General Entertainment Channels (GECs) to the free-to-air (FTA) platform after a three-year hiatus.
Key Highlights from the Auction:
GECs Make a Comeback: Prominent channels such as Zee Anmol, Star Utsav, Sony Pal, and Colors Rishtey have secured slots under the Bucket A+ category, designated for Hindi and Urdu GECs. These channels had previously exited the platform following their transition to pay-TV models.
Revenue from Bucket A+ Slots: The first two days witnessed the sale of 11 slots, with six from Bucket A+ and five from Bucket A (Hindi and Urdu movie channels).
Notable bids include:
Zee Anmol: ₹18.60 crore
Star Utsav: ₹18.25 crore
Zee Big Magic: ₹17.25 crore
Collectively, these bids contributed ₹109.50 crore from Bucket A+ slots, reflecting a 10.98% decline compared to the previous year’s sales of ₹123 crore.
Revenue from Bucket A Slots: In Bucket A, with a reserve price of ₹12 crore, five slots were auctioned, garnering a total of ₹98.60 crore. The channels and their respective bids are:
Colors Cineplex Superhits: ₹16.50 crore
Star Utsav Movies: ₹16.95 crore
Sony Wah: ₹16.60 crore
Zee Anmol Cinema: ₹16.55 crore
Colors Cineplex Bollywood: ₹15.65 crore
These figures underscore the strong demand for movie channels on the FTA platform.
The return of premium GECs to DD FreeDish indicates a strategic shift in the Indian television market. Facing rising costs in the pay-TV segment and increased audience fragmentation due to OTT competition, broadcasters are re-evaluating their strategies to tap into the vast FTA viewership base. Despite being classified as pay channels in the latest Reference Interconnect Offer (RIO), leading broadcasters actively participated in the bidding process, signaling their intent to regain audience share in rural and semi-urban markets.
The DD FreeDish MPEG-2 e-auction is set to continue, with more slots available for bidding. Last year, Prasar Bharati secured a record ₹1,156 crore from the sale of 64 slots, and industry experts anticipate another successful auction this year. The newly allotted channels will commence airing on April 1, 2025, and continue until March 31, 2026.
With the resurgence of major GECs and heightened bidding activity, DD FreeDish reaffirms its position as a dominant force in India’s FTA television landscape, offering advertisers and broadcasters extensive reach in the country’s non-metro and rural markets.
Key Highlights:
- Prasar Bharati’s DD FreeDish e-auction generates ₹208.10 crore in two days.
- Major GECs like Zee Anmol, Star Utsav, Sony Pal, and Colors Rishtey return to the FTA platform.
- The auction reflects a strategic shift as broadcasters aim to capture the rural and semi-urban audience.
- The newly allotted channels will be available from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.