Prasar Bharati invites applications for MPEG-2 slots on DD FreeDish

Prasar Bharati has invited applications for the allotment of vacant MPEG-2 slots on its DD Free Dish DTH platform for the period from 29 August 2025 to 31 March 2026.

The allotment will be carried out through the 90th online e-auction process, tentatively scheduled to begin on 20 August 2025.

The e-auction will follow the E-auction Methodology 2025 for Allotment of DD Free Dish Slots to Private TV Channels, notified by Prasar Bharati on 3 January this year. Only satellite channels permitted and licensed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting can participate, while international public broadcasters licensed by the Ministry are also eligible.

Channels are classified into different buckets based on genre and language.

• Bucket A Plus includes GEC Hindi and Urdu channels.
• Bucket A is for movie channels in Hindi and Urdu. Bucket B comprises music and sports channels in Hindi and Urdu, all Bhojpuri channels and other Hindi and Urdu genres. Bucket C is for news and current affairs channels in Hindi and Urdu.
• Bucket D includes devotional, spiritual and Ayush channels, all Marathi and Punjabi genres, news and current affairs channels in English and yet-to-be-launched or re-launched channels in regional languages except Hindi and Urdu.
• Bucket R covers all other regional language channels as per Schedule 8 of the Constitution of India, except Hindi, Urdu, Marathi and Punjabi, which are operational and available on at least one private DTH platform or DD Free Dish or with one registered MSO.

The pubcaster has notified that broadcasters must provide clear proof of genre and language classification, with predominantly defined as at least 75 % of telecast content in the declared genre and language, excluding permitted advertisements. This content must make up at least 60 % of total programming each month.

“Any violations will be reviewed by a committee, and penalties can include discontinuation of slots if the channel fails to comply or change its declared genre and language within the prescribed time,” it said.

For this mid-year e-auction, Prasar Bharati notified the round-wise starting reserve prices and eligibility.

• In the first round, the starting reserve price is Rs 9.60 crore and eligible buckets are A Plus, A, B, C, D and R.
• In the second round, the starting reserve price is Rs 7.65 crore and all buckets are eligible except A Plus.
• The third round will have a starting reserve price of Rs 6.50 crore for buckets B, C, D and R.
• The fourth round will have a starting reserve price of Rs 4.80 crore for buckets C, D and R.
• The fifth round will have a starting reserve price of Rs 4.15 crore for buckets D and R.

The sixth round is only for bucket R with a starting reserve price of Rs 1.76 crore. Applications along with the required documents must adhere strictly to the prescribed format and eligibility norms to avoid rejection.

The last date of submitting applications is 18 August.