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Prasar Bharati opens 90th e-auction for DD Free Dish MPEG-2 slots
The round-wise reserve prices range from ₹9.60 crore for Bucket A+ to ₹1.76 crore for Bucket R.
Prasar Bharati's notification dated August 11 states that the auction will be conducted as per the E-auction Methodology of DD Free Dish Slots to Private TV Channels
Prasar Bharati has announced the 90th e-auction for allotment of vacant MPEG-2 slots on the DD Free Dish platform for the period from August 29, 2025, to March 31, 2026, on a pro-rata basis. The online e-auction process is tentatively scheduled to begin on August 20, 2025.
Prasar Bharati's notification dated August 11 states that the auction will be conducted as per the E-auction Methodology of DD Free Dish Slots to Private TV Channels notified on the Prasar Bharati website. Only satellite TV channels holding valid permission from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) will be eligible to participate. International public broadcasters permitted by MIB can also take part.
Channel Categories and Buckets TV channels will be classified into specific genre-language buckets for the auction, including:
Bucket A+: Hindi/Urdu GEC channels
Bucket A: Hindi/Urdu movie and music channels
Bucket B: Hindi/Urdu sports channels, Bhojpuri channels, and other Hindi/Urdu genres
Bucket C: Hindi/Urdu news and current affairs channels
Bucket D: Devotional/spiritual/Ayush channels, Marathi & Punjabi channels, English news channels, and certain regional language channels
Bucket R: Other regional language channels as per Schedule 8 of the Constitution (except Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, Punjabi)
Reserve Prices
The round-wise reserve prices range from ₹9.60 crore for Bucket A+ to ₹1.76 crore for Bucket R.
Channels must ensure that at least 75% of monthly programming matches their declared genre and language, excluding advertisements. Violations will be reviewed by a Prasar Bharati committee, and defaulters may face discontinuation of their DD Free Dish slot.
Broadcasters must apply online and submit all required documents in PDF format. A non-refundable processing fee of ₹25,000 is payable online, while a participation fee of ₹1.5 crore must be paid via demand draft or electronic transfer.
Prasar Bharati has also mandated submission of an integrity pact, authorization of an official representative, and undertakings as per prescribed formats.
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