DD Free Dish to conduct fresh MPEG-4 slot e-auction from March 16

Prasar Bharati has announced a fresh round of e-auction for the allotment of vacant MPEG-4 television slots on its free-to-air DD Free Dish platform.

The online bidding process is scheduled to commence on March 16, 2026, as per a notification issued by the public broadcaster.

This exercise marks the 8th annual and 97th e-auction for MPEG-4 slots and will be carried out in accordance with the revised e-auction methodology for 2025, incorporating amendments notified earlier this month. The slots allotted through this process will be valid for a one-year period, from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.

Television channels holding valid permissions from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting are eligible to participate. International public broadcasters may also apply, subject to regulatory clearances. Interested broadcasters are required to submit their applications online, along with the prescribed documents and fees, by March 9, 2026.

As part of the application process, Prasar Bharati has fixed a non-refundable processing charge of Rs 25,000, payable online, along with a participation fee of Rs 3 lakh, to be paid through approved banking channels.

The available MPEG-4 capacity has been divided into multiple language- and genre-based buckets, each with specified reserve prices, bid increments and slot availability. Regional language channels have been grouped under separate buckets covering South Indian languages, select regional languages such as Punjabi, Marathi and Bengali, as well as other scheduled languages. Reserve prices for these categories begin at Rs 5 lakh in the initial round and increase in subsequent rounds.

For general entertainment and news channels, dedicated buckets have been earmarked with higher reserve prices, reflecting broader audience reach. A separate HD bucket has also been notified, with a higher entry threshold and limited slot availability. Prasar Bharati has additionally provided for open rounds to accommodate unsold inventory after the completion of category-specific bidding.

Bid increments have been fixed at Rs 50,000 for regional buckets and Rs 1 lakh for general and HD categories. Channels securing slots will be required to operationalise services within the stipulated timeframe and adhere to genre and language compliance norms. Non-compliance may attract penalties, including interest on delayed payments and potential removal from the platform.

DD Free Dish remains India’s largest free-to-air DTH service and continues to serve as a significant distribution platform for broadcasters seeking nationwide reach without subscription charges.