DD Free Dish e-auction deadline extended to May 18
Prasar Bharati has pushed back the application deadline for its 87th e-auction of vacant MPEG-2 slots on the DD Free Dish platform to May 18, 2025, at 3:00 p.m.
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Prasar Bharati has pushed back the application deadline for its 87th e-auction of vacant MPEG-2 slots on the DD Free Dish platform to May 18, 2025, at 3:00 p.m, as per reports.
An official notification released on May 8, 2025, announced the change. The online auction is now tentatively scheduled for May 19, 2025 (Monday). This e-auction will allocate slots on a pro-rata basis for the period spanning May 28, 2025, to March 31, 2026.
Prasar Bharati confirmed that all other terms and conditions from its earlier notification dated April 29, 2025, remain in effect for this mid-year auction.
Recently, during WAVES 2025, Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi detailed Prasar Bharati’s massive reach with “23 languages, 180 dialects, 12 foreign languages, 250 plus radio stations, 30 channels.” Yet, he pointed out the limitations of linear broadcasting: “Only one programme can go at a time… But then we also have the possibility of having multiple programs and infinitely scalable number of programs across languages, across genres, on the digital platform.”
He pitched WAVES OTT, Prasar Bharati’s own streaming service, as a natural next step.
“Why do we need our own streaming service? There is also the requirement to take a very vast volume of usable content to the audiences- not just entertainment content, not just news content, but information content.”
Dwivedi emphasised the continued relevance of educational programming, citing examples like Turning Point, a science show presented by Naseeruddin Shah. He also defended the long-running program Krishi Darshan, calling it “the longest running television program anywhere in the world” that still maintains strong audience engagement.
Highlighting the evolution of news broadcasting, he said, “When we started with allowing private partnerships in an area as sensitive as news, Doordarshan and Akashvani had the monopoly… This monopoly was also gradually relaxed."
