Doordarshan’s FreeDish is all set for its 36th e-auction on 4 July 2017, after an auction on 25 May turned out to be a damp squib though two TV channels came on a pro rata basis.
In a major change of policy, the reserve price for general entertainment channels will be Rs 80 million but the reserve price for news and current affairs channels will be Rs 65 million.
With the completion of MPEG4 trials, the total strength of the platform will go up to 104 by the end of July as expected. Earlier this year, the Parliament was informed that FreeDish had got approval to increase this capacity to 250 channels and DD sources had told Indiantelevision.com that it will happen in the third quarter of 2018.
The e-Auction will be conducted by M/s. C1 India Pvt. Ltd., Noida which also conducted the FM Radio Phase III auctions on behalf of Prasar Bharati.
Meanwhile, changes have also been made in the modes of payment with regard to GEC and news channels. The participation amount (EMD) in the e-Auction for GEC channels is Rs.28 million while it is Rs 22.8 million for news channels. This has to be deposited in advance before or by 12 noon on the date of auction along with processing fee of Rs.25,000 (non-refundable).
Incremental amount for the auction will be Rs one million and the time for every slot e-auction will be of fifteen minutes duration. This may be extended by five minutes if a bid is received before the closing time.
Although FreeDish will remain free-to-air with no monthly or periodic fee, the viewers will be required to register with DD FreeDish on getting the new STB from Doordarshan authorized STB dealers.
DD officials said implementation of iCAS and authorisation of STB original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) by Doordarshan will give a major thrust to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’. At present, a majority of STBs are imported. However, the introduction of iCAS will help in standardization of STBs and encourage quality STB manufacturing in India.
FreeDish auction on 4 July, different reserve prices for GEC and news
In a major change of policy, the reserve price for general entertainment channels will be Rs 80 million but the reserve price for news and current affairs channels will be Rs 65 million.
With the completion of MPEG4 trials, the total strength of the platform will go up to 104 by the end of July as expected. Earlier this year, the Parliament was informed that FreeDish had got approval to increase this capacity to 250 channels and DD sources had told Indiantelevision.com that it will happen in the third quarter of 2018.
The e-Auction will be conducted by M/s. C1 India Pvt. Ltd., Noida which also conducted the FM Radio Phase III auctions on behalf of Prasar Bharati.
Meanwhile, changes have also been made in the modes of payment with regard to GEC and news channels. The participation amount (EMD) in the e-Auction for GEC channels is Rs.28 million while it is Rs 22.8 million for news channels. This has to be deposited in advance before or by 12 noon on the date of auction along with processing fee of Rs.25,000 (non-refundable).
Incremental amount for the auction will be Rs one million and the time for every slot e-auction will be of fifteen minutes duration. This may be extended by five minutes if a bid is received before the closing time.
Although FreeDish will remain free-to-air with no monthly or periodic fee, the viewers will be required to register with DD FreeDish on getting the new STB from Doordarshan authorized STB dealers.
DD officials said implementation of iCAS and authorisation of STB original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) by Doordarshan will give a major thrust to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’. At present, a majority of STBs are imported. However, the introduction of iCAS will help in standardization of STBs and encourage quality STB manufacturing in India.
FreeDish auction on 4 July, different reserve prices for GEC and news
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