Prasar Bharati sets March 16 start for 97th DD Free Dish MPEG-4 e-auction

Prasar Bharati has invited applications for allotment of vacant MPEG-4 slots on DD Free Dish for the period 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 through the 8th Annual (97th) online e-auction, tentatively starting 16 March 2026. The process will be conducted under the DD Free Dish Eauction Methodology 2025 and Amendment No. 1 dated 9 January 2026, as published on the Prasar Bharati website.

Only satellite TV channels holding valid permission and licence from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, as well as eligible international public broadcasters, can participate in the e-auction. Channels are classified into MPEG4 buckets H, R1, R2, R3, RO, G1, G2 and GO, with distinct reserve prices, bid increments and eligibility conditions based on genre, HD/SD status and languages including major southern and other Schedule 8 regional languages (except Hindi and Urdu). If slots in R1, R2 or R3 remain vacant, they will be offered in a Regional Open (RO) round, and any remaining capacity across all buckets may be filled through a General Open (GO) round.​

Prospective bidders must apply online at the DD Free Dish portal, upload all required documents and pay a nonrefundable processing fee of ₹25,000; a participation fee of ₹3 lakh is payable via DD/RTGS, with proof of payment to be uploaded and the original demand draft (if used) delivered to the DD Free Dish office by 9 March 2026, 15:00 hrs. Applicants must also submit undertakings, an authorised representative nomination, and a signed Integrity Pact in prescribed annexure formats before being allowed to participate.​

Channels must clearly substantiate their declared genre and language; at least 75% of monthly content (excluding ads/promos) must match the declared genre/language, and in any case the declared genre/language content cannot fall below 60% of total programming, failing which a committee review, show-cause notice, potential reclassification or discontinuation from DD Free Dish may follow. Reserve prices for the various MPEG4 buckets range from ₹5 lakh in initial regional rounds (R1–R3) up to ₹80 lakh for HD bucket H and ₹70 lakh for General Open (GO), with specified bid increments between ₹50,000 and ₹1 lakh depending on the round.

Successful bidders will receive Letters of Allotment with a payment schedule aligned to the methodology; failure to pay any instalment on time will attract 14.5% annual interest and may ultimately lead to forfeiture of participation fees, cancellation of allotment and re-auctioning of the vacated slot. Channels will be placed on vacant logical channel numbers as per the LCN procedure dated 9 January 2025 and must provide an IRD box with required outputs and technical details at DD’s DTH station in Todapur at least one week before placement. If a channel fails to go on air within one month of the allotment commencement date, or withdraws/terminates prematurely, the allotment will be cancelled and all paid amounts including participation fee may be forfeited.

Through this MPEG-4 e-auction, Prasar Bharati aims to optimise use of its transponder capacity and expand the variety of SD and HD channels available to DD Free Dish households at no monthly subscription cost. Winning channels will receive logical channel numbers in line with DD Free Dish’s LCN policy, giving them access to tens of millions of free-to-air viewers across urban and rural India.

Also read: https://fdslots.prasarbharati.org/upload/invitations/NIA_for_8th_Annual_(97th)_e-Auction_of_MPEG-4_Slots_dated_09-02-2026.pdf
BCS Bureau