This is Prasar Bharati's first update of 2025 to improve its viewers' experience. To meet the demands of free DTH viewers, the public broadcaster has allowed private HD channels to stream on DD Free dish's MPEG-4 slots. It means Private HD TV channels can also reserve MPEG-4 slots on DD Free Dish.
As you know, Prasar Bharati recently added more than 200+ MPEG-4/HD slots to the DD Free Dish platform. Therefore, Prasar Bharati has revised the auction policy for DD Free Dish and issued updated policy guidelines.
So, Prasar Bharati has implemented notable policy changes in the e-auction methodology for the allocation of slots in its DD Free Dish platform -
- The public broadcaster has included the provision to include HD channels on MPEG-4 slots.
- The reserve price for the newly launched HD channels will be Rs 80 lakh per annum.
- The incremental bid amount for the second round has been fixed at Rs 1 lakh.
- These slots will also be reserved based on regional and under-served genres or languages, which you can check here.
- It also reserves slots for foreign public service broadcasters. This will ensure diversity in channel offerings on DD Free Dish.
However, any change in the channel name or logo on DD Free Dish will require approval from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and successful applicants will have to provide their satellite receiver at the DTH Earth Station in New Delhi to ensure proper signal reception.
You can check the latest DD Free Dish e-auction updates here.