DD FreeDish: Prasar Bharati invites applications for 89th e-auction of MPEG-4 slots

The auction is scheduled to tentatively begin on July 2, 2025, and the slots will be allotted for the period July 11, 2025 to March 31, 2026

by e4m Staff
Published: Jun 24, 2025 4:09 PM | 2 min read

Prasar Bharati, India’s public service broadcaster, has invited applications from satellite TV channels for the 89th online e-auction of MPEG-4 slots on the DD Free Dish DTH platform.

The auction is scheduled to tentatively begin on July 2, 2025, and the slots will be allotted for the period July 11, 2025 to March 31, 2026.

As per the notification, only channels permitted and licensed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting are eligible to participate. This includes both private broadcasters and international public broadcasters.

Channels have been grouped into five buckets based on language and genre—R1, R2, R3 (regional languages), and G1 and G2 (news and non-news genres). The reserve prices for slots vary, starting from ₹3.62 lakh for regional channels (R1, R3) to ₹57.14 lakh for news channels (G1). Bid increments range from ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh.

A new emphasis has been placed on content integrity.

The notification said that broadcasters must ensure that at least 75% of the monthly content is in the declared language and genre, failing which action including discontinuation of slot allotment may be taken.

A non-refundable processing fee of ₹25,000 is mandatory, along with a participation fee of ₹3 lakh, which can be paid via demand draft or RTGS.

The deadline for submission of applications and physical documents is 3:00 PM on June 30, 2025.

This e-auction is part of Prasar Bharati’s ongoing effort to enhance the DD Free Dish platform, which offers free-to-air television services across the country, including remote and rural areas.