Prasar Bharati invites bids to appoint agency for e-auctions of DD Free Dish slots

Prasar Bharati has invited bids to appoint an agency to conduct e-auctions for slots on DD Free Dish and other platforms operated by the public service broadcaster, signalling preparations for the next phase of allocation of channel capacity on its free-to-air satellite television platform.

According to a notice issued by Doordarshan on October 1, Prasar Bharati is seeking an Indian agency to conduct the e-auctions. The tender has an estimated value of ₹32 lakh, including taxes, with the bid opening scheduled for October 22 at 1 pm. The earnest money deposit has been fixed at ₹64,000.

The appointed agency will be responsible for conducting e-auctions for slots on DD Free Dish as well as other Prasar Bharati platforms. The broadcaster has scheduled a pre-bid meeting for October 8 at 3 pm at Doordarshan Bhawan in New Delhi, where prospective bidders can seek clarifications on the tender.

The tender comes as DD Free Dish continues to be an important distribution platform for television broadcasters seeking access to India's large free-to-air television audience. The document, however, does not specify the number of slots that will be auctioned under the proposed contract or provide details of the next auction cycle.

The agency selection will be conducted through a two-bid system, comprising technical and financial bids. Both bids have to be submitted digitally through Prasar Bharati's e-procurement portal. Only bidders meeting the technical qualification requirements will have their financial bids opened.

Prasar Bharati has specified that bidders must be registered on its e-tendering portal and possess a Class-III Digital Signature Certificate. The annual registration fee is ₹450 plus GST, while the tender processing fee for a tender valued between ₹10 lakh and ₹50 lakh is ₹925 plus GST, taking the total to ₹1,091.50.

The successful bidder will also have to furnish a performance security deposit equivalent to 3% of the value of the contract within 30 days of the placement of the contract.

The tender is restricted to Indian bidders in accordance with the applicable provisions of the General Financial Rules governing global tender enquiries. Prasar Bharati has also said that the government’s Make in India procurement policy will apply to the tender.

The broadcaster has retained the right to accept or reject any or all applications without assigning a reason and can also annul the tender process at any stage. It can verify the credentials submitted by bidders before or after awarding the contract. In case information submitted by an agency is found to be false or materially discrepant, Prasar Bharati can forfeit the earnest money and debar the agency from participating in future tenders, besides taking other contractual or legal action.

The appointed agency will therefore become an important part of the commercial process through which Prasar Bharati allocates capacity on DD Free Dish and its other platforms. The tender document requires bidders to submit details of their past performance, user certificates, authorisation to sign the application, GST and PAN documents, technical documents and other undertakings.

The move also comes against the backdrop of the growing importance of free-to-air distribution in India's television market, where DD Free Dish provides broadcasters with access to households without a conventional subscription fee. For broadcasters, securing a slot on the platform can offer mass-market reach, particularly in markets where pay-TV penetration remains constrained by affordability and distribution costs.

However, the tender itself does not indicate the reserve price, auction methodology, number of available slots or the specific channels that could participate in any forthcoming auction. Those details are expected to be governed by the detailed RFP and subsequent auction-related documentation.