DD Free Dish: Prasar Bharati announces 104th e-auction for vacant MPEG-4 slots

Prasar Bharati has invited applications from eligible television broadcasters for its 104th e-auction of vacant MPEG-4 slots on the DD Free Dish platform, with the auction tentatively scheduled to begin on October 28, 2026.

According to the notice dated October 19, the allocation will cover the period from November 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, with slots to be allotted on a pro-rata basis. The auction will follow Prasar Bharati’s E-auction Methodology 2025, notified on January 3, 2025, along with amendments dated January 9, 2026.

Only satellite television channels permitted and licensed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) are eligible to participate. Companies holding valid permissions from the ministry can apply, while international public broadcasters permitted and licensed by MIB are also eligible.

The latest round provides an opportunity for eligible broadcasters to secure distribution on DD Free Dish, the public broadcaster’s free-to-air DTH platform, for the specified allocation period.

Five categories for channel allocation

Prasar Bharati has divided channels into five buckets based on genre and language classification, with eligibility conditions applying to the relevant categories.

The regional-language categories include Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam channels under Bucket R1; Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali and Odia channels under Bucket R2; and other regional languages listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution, excluding Hindi and Urdu and those covered under the first two categories, under Bucket R3.

For these three regional-language buckets, channels must be operational and available in the relevant language on the date of the auction notification on at least one private DTH platform or DD Free Dish, and/or through at least one registered multi-system operator (MSO).

The remaining categories cover news and current affairs television channels and non-news and current affairs channels.

Applicants must provide clear documentary evidence establishing their channel’s declared genre and language. Prasar Bharati has cautioned that applications containing unclear, ambiguous or conflicting information may be considered ineligible and summarily rejected.

Strict content and language requirements

The notice places particular emphasis on ensuring that channels maintain the genre and language classifications declared during the auction.

Broadcasters must undertake that at least 75% of their monthly telecast content will conform to the declared genre and audio language, excluding advertisements and promos within the applicable limits under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. The notice further specifies that content matching the declared genre and language must account for at least 60% of the channel’s total monthly content.

Where a potential violation is reported, the channel’s broadcast recordings will be reviewed by a duly constituted committee. If a channel is found to be in default, a show-cause notice will be issued, and the broadcaster may apply to change its genre or language classification within the prescribed timeframe under the applicable auction methodology and allocation conditions.

If no such request is submitted, Prasar Bharati may issue a notice for discontinuation of the channel for violating the terms of its DD Free Dish slot allocation.

Application fees and documentation

Applicants must pay a non-refundable processing fee of ₹25,000 online through the designated DD Free Dish slot application portal before submitting their applications. The notice also specifies a participation fee of ₹3 lakh, with applicants required to provide self-attested proof of payment through a demand draft or a screenshot confirming a successful RTGS transaction.

The application requires copies of the channel’s MIB-issued downlinking permission and, where applicable, uplinking permission. Applicants must also submit the ministry-approved channel logo and the complete chain of permissions for any change in the channel’s name or logo.

Existing channels must provide evidence supporting their genre and language classification. This may include certificates from DTH operators or MSOs, relevant documentation from regulatory or government authorities such as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) or MIB, or evidence from a television rating agency such as BARC. Channels applying under the three regional-language buckets must mandatorily submit certificates from DTH operators or MSOs confirming their platform presence and classification.

Channels that are not on air on the date of notification must provide a certified copy of their application to MIB for permission to downlink television channels in India. Additional supporting documents may include publicly available material establishing the intention to launch within a declared timeframe or documentation of launch plans on other distribution platforms.

Applicants must also submit programme content schedules or fixed-point charts. Operational channels are required to provide schedules for July, August and September 2026, while all applicants must provide proposed schedules for November and December 2026 and January 2027, consistent with their declared genre and language.

Other mandatory documents include an undertaking in the prescribed format, an authorisation letter for the person empowered to sign bids and represent the applicant company, a duly completed Integrity Pact, the company’s PAN and GST registration documents, and the required supporting permissions.

All documents must be uploaded in PDF format, with each file limited to 1 MB.

Integrity safeguards built into the process

The prescribed Integrity Pact requires both Prasar Bharati and participating channel providers to commit to a transparent auction process and prohibit corrupt practices.

Channel providers must not offer inducements to officials, collude with competing bidders or enter into monetary transactions with Prasar Bharati employees. They must also disclose relevant relationships between their representatives or employees and officials of the public broadcaster, as specified in the pact.

Violations can lead to disqualification, forfeiture of participation fees or security deposits, cancellation of an existing slot agreement and debarment from future government or Prasar Bharati bidding processes. The pact also provides for legal action where applicable.

The notice and accompanying application requirements are intended to establish eligibility, verify channel classifications and ensure compliance throughout the slot-allocation period.