India’s only Free to Air (FTA) Direct to Home (DTH) platform DD Free Dish has dropped the High Definition version of DD National from its platform. DD National HD was dropped from the platform earlier this week when Prasar Bharati added the MPEG-4 channels which had won slots in the recently concluded MPEG-4 annual E-Auction.
DD National HD had been available on DD Free Dish for quite a long time. The channel has been on air for a few years since 2017. Back in 2017, Tata Sky had added DD HD only to drop it few days later. Dish TV had carried the channel as a shared channel from DD Free Dish transponder.
DD News HD is now the only HD channel which is available on DD Free Dish at channel number 107 on MPEG-4 slot.
The total TV channels capacity is now at 110 up from the earlier capacity of 108 in June with the exit of DD National HD. Satsang, VIP News, India News UP/UK, India News Haryana, News State UP/UK, India News, India News MP/Chhattisgarh, and India News Rajasthan have been added on the MPEG-4 slots with India News vacating its earlier MPEG-4 slot.
DD Free Dish now has 3 vacant MPEG-2 slots which could rise further if some channels were to exit the platform or to be thrown off the platform by Prasar Bharati. Movie Plus and Manoranjan Grand had earlier moved TDSAT citing financial difficulties to pay the instalment.
DD National HD however continues to be on air on C-Band and Zee5. Dish TV however is showing a black screen given the channel was shared from DD Free Dish transponder.
