Prasar Bharati fetches Rs 1,157 Crore from sale of 64 DD Free Dish MPEG-2 slots

Prasar Bharati, India’s public broadcaster, has successfully concluded its recent DD Freedish e-auction with record revenue. The seven-day bidding war concluded with a remarkable 8% surge in total revenue, amounting to approximately Rs 1,157 crore, driven by the sale of 64 MPEG-2 slots.

Comparing the figures to the previous years, the growth trajectory is evident. Last year, Prasar Bharati raked in Rs 1,071 crore from similar e-auctions, marking a substantial 66% increase compared to 2022. In contrast, the revenue generated in 2022 stood at Rs 645 crore, reflecting a 12% decline from the Rs 734 crore garnered in 2021.

The 75th online e-auction for MPEG-2 TV slots of DD Freedish witnessed significant participation, with private television broadcasters competing for slots on the platform. The application process commenced with the deadline set for February 12. The auctions themselves spanned from February 19 to February 26, for available slots for the period from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.

Notably, some major players refrained from participating in this year’s e-auctions. Star Utsav, Zee Anmol, Colors Rishtey, and Sony Pal, leading general entertainment channels (GECs), opted out of the MPEG-2 bidding.

However, there were new entrants into the bidding process including Sri Adhikari Brothers’ Dhamaal and Sun Network’s Sun Hindi. News channels continue to lead the pack, collectively investing Rs 232 crore to secure slots on DD Freedish. Additionally, the Hindi movie channels emerged as significant spenders, allocating Rs 241 crore for 14 slots. Not far behind, the Hindi GECs secured 12 slots for Rs 228 crore.

Day-wise Auction Results 

Day 1- February 20, 2024

• Manoranjan Grand
• Manoranjan TV

Day 2- February 21, 2024

• Dhammal – (New)
• Dangal
• Sun Neo – (New)
• The Q
• Colors Cineplex Superhits
• Colors Cineplex Bollywood
• Zee Anmol Cinema
• Star Utsav Movies
• Star Gold Thrills
• Sony Wah
• Chumbak TV 

Day 3- February 22, 2024 

• ABP News
• News18 India
• Republic TV Bharat
• Aaj Tak
• Zee News
• NDTV India
• Showbox
• Filmchi Bhojpuri
• B4U Music
• Sports18 Khel
• Manoranjan Prime

Day 4- February 23, 2024 

• Sanskar TV
• Sadhna TV – (New)
• Zee Punjabi
• Aastha TV
• Sun Marathi
• Zee Chitramandir
• Manoranjan Movies
• Russia Today
• Pear TV – (New)

Day 5- February 24, 2024

• Big Magic
• Mastii
• Movie Plus
• Popular TV
• Raapchik – (New)
• Action Cinema  – (New)
• Zee Biskope
• Shemaroo TV
• Goldmines
• Dangal 2
• Shemaroo Umang
• News24 – (New)
• India TV

Day 6- February 26, 2024

• Nazara TV
• Ishara TV
• Good News Today
• Unique TV
• B4U Movies
• Dhinchaak
• Goldmines Bollywood
• TV9 Bharatvarsh
• Bhojpuri Cinema
• Goldmines Movies
• Times Now Navbharat
• Zee Anmol Cinema 2 – (New)
• News Nation

Day 7- February 27, 2024

• B4U Kadak
• B4U Bhojpuri
• India Daily Live
• 9XM 
• Fakt Marathi

Prasar Bharati’s DD Freedish platform is estimated to have a large subscriber base of MPEG-2 set-top-boxes ranging between 40-45 million. This vast reach of the platform allows broadcasters to engage with a wide audience base across the country.