Prasar Bharati has invited applications for allotment of vacant MPEG-4 slots on DD Free Dish DTH Platform for the period from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, through 77 Annual (86th) online e-auction.
The e-auction is likely to be held from March 4, 2025. The last date of submission is February 25, 2025.
In round one (where Bucket R1 is eligible), the public broadcaster has kept the starting reserve price at Rs 5,00,000 (5 lakh). For round two (for bucket R1), the reserve price is Rs 15 lakh. The round one of Bucket R2, the starting reserve price is kept at Rs 5 lakh. The round two of Bucket R2 will have the price set at Rs 15 lakh. Lastly, the first round for bucket 3 is kept at Rs 5 lakh.
The e-auction will be conducted per ‘E-auction Methodology ’25’ for the allotment of DD Free Dish slots to private TV channels, notified by Prasar Bharati on January 3, 2025.
Last month, Prasar Bharati revised its e-auction policy for DD Free Dish slots allowing high-definition (HD) channels to participate in the bidding process.
According to this methodology for allotment of slots on DD Free Dish Platform 2025, the e-auction process for MPEG-4 slots will be held bucket-wise, one slot at a time.
E-auction will be conducted for 2 HD slots or the number of applications received whichever is less for HD channels will be e-auctioned. Only eligible HD channels can place bids.
In the open round for regional channels, the new methodology states that after completing the e-auction for R1, R2 and R3 buckets, the Open Round e-auction will be conducted for 2 slots plus vacant slots, if any of R1, R2 and R3 buckets. All eligible unsuccessful bidders of buckets R1, R2 and R3 and yet to be launched/re-launched channels of these languages can place bids in the round.
The eligibility criteria for channel providers participating in e-auction includes only satellite TV channels permitted/ licensed by the MIB for downlinking/distribution in India under relevant guidelines eligible for placement on DD Free Dish.
International Public Broadcasters permitted under relevant guidelines are also eligible to participate in e-auction. The participation fee for MPEG-2 slots is Rs 1.50 crore while for MPEG-4 slots is Rs 3 Lakhs.
In the latest circular, the pubcaster mentioned that the upgrade of MPEG-4 streams on DD Free Dish is under progress. Hence, in the interim, slots for various bucket/rounds for the 7th Annual e-auction will be as provided (as mentioned above) and the e-auction for Private HD Channels and second round of R3 will be taken up once the upgrade is completed.
Bucket R1 includes all genres of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam that is in operation and available in the concerned language on the date of issue of notification for e-auction on at least one private DTH Platform/DD Free Dish and/or on (ii) at least one registered MSO.
R2 includes all genres of Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Odiya that is in operation and available in the concerned language on the date of issue of notification for e- auction on at least one private DTH Platform/DD Free Dish and/or on at least one registered MSO.
R3 includes all genres of other regional languages, as mentioned in schedule 8 of Indian Constitution (except Hindi & Urdu), not covered under Buckets Rl and R2 and is in operation and available in the concerned language on the date of issue of notification for e-auction on at least one private DTH Platform/DD
Free Dish and/or on at least one registered MSO.
For the regional open round, the reserve price is kept at Rs 20 lakh.
For G1 (general open round), in the first round the starting reserve price is kept at Rs 30 lakh and in the second round, it is Rs 50 lakh. In G2, the starting reserve price for the first round is Rs 30 lakh, followed by Rs 50 lakh for the second round.
The starting reserve price for general open round (GO) is kept at Rs 70 lakh.
G1 includes news and current affairs TV channels and G2 includes all genres of non-news and current affairs TV channels.
If slot pertaining to buckets R1, R2, R3, RO, Gl and G2 remains vacant after the completion of auction of that bucket, it would be filled through the General Open round (GO) e-auction, the pubcaster said.
According to the circular, broadcasters desirous of allotment of slot on DD Free Dish are required to provide unambiguous proof in support of Genre and Language classification of their channel.
“Whenever any violation concerning content and language declared by the channel come to notice, the recording of the content broadcast by the channel shall be reviewed by a duly constituted committee,” the circular read.