The 46th DD Free Dish E-Auction for allotment of MPEG-4 slots on an annual basis has seen Hindi News channels and Hindi Devotional channels once again dominate the lineup. Out of the 15 slots bagged in the MPEG-4 E-Auction, Hindi Devotional and Hindi News channels account for 93.33% of the slots i.e 14 MPEG-4 slots with Punjabi News channel Chardikala Time TV being the odd one out.
ITV Network’s regional news channels have entered DD Free Dish among others, with many channels retaining their MPEG-4 slots. Samay, Sudharshan News, India News, Live Today, India News UP/UK, India News Haryana, News State UP/UK, India News MP/Chhattisgarh, VIP News, Chardikala Time TV, Sanskar, Aastha, Vedic, and Satsang have been allotted MPEG-4 slots on an annual basis.
Sanskar, Aastha, Vedic, Chardikala Time TV, Live Today, Sudharshan News and Samay have retained their MPEG-4 slots while other channels are new entrants.
The MPEG-4 slots are priced lesser than the MPEG-2 slots given the less reach of MPEG-4 channels on DD Free Dish since most of the DD Free Dish viewers use MPEG-2 Set-Top boxes. News and Devotional channels inturn usually dominate the MPEG-4 auction.
