EXCLUSIVE: DD Free Dish pushes to double subscriber base; to focus on premium households
In May, Prasar Bharati announced plans to increase DD Free Dish slots next year. The pubcaster is getting a new transponder to increase the number of slots as the demand remains high.
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DD Free Dish is pushing to double its subscription base while focusing on the high-end premium households, sources close to the development revealed. Presently, the Free Dish is widely used in rural and semi-rural households.
This follows the Prasar Bharati's recent announcement of increasing DD Free Dish slots next year, with the number of slots to go up by 40. The pubcaster is getting a new transponder to increase the number of slots as the demand remains high.
In the online auction of DD Free Dish MPEG-2 slots in February 2024, 64 slots were sold for a total of approximately Rs 1157 crore, marking an 8 percent increase in revenue compared to last year's auction of Rs 1071 crore. The auction was a clear indicator of the growing popularity of Prasar Bharati's free-to-air DTH service.
It marked the second consecutive year of revenue growth for Prasar Bharati from the sale of MPEG-2 slots, following a significant 66 percent increase in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Having built a strong subscriber base over the past three to four years, DD Free Dish currently boasts of more than 45 million subscribers and is widely used in rural and semi-rural households.
Now as it plans to double the subscribers' base, it will focus more on urban markets and even launch marketing campaigns to make Section-A audiences aware of Free Dish.
Over the years, DD Free Dish has become increasingly popular due to its ability to reach a vast rural population. The platform added about 21 million subscribers within a span of 5 years, till 2022, and reaches more than 45 million households currently.
This growth, according to the experts, was driven by less expensive television sets, economic issues, and the addition of new channels to the platform. The platform currently hosts channels showing drama, movies, news, music, and regional and foreign content, making it more diverse and appealing over the years.
Additionally, advertising on Free Dish offers cost benefit as the pricing of pay channels is typically 35 percent to 40 percent higher. Further, close to 67 percent of the population in India resides in rural areas, and approximately 37 percent of FMCG consumption comes from these consumers- hence offering brands a vast universe to tap into.
DD Free Dish DTH service is owned and operated by Public Service Broadcaster Prasar Bharati. It was launched in December, 2004. DD Free Dish is the only Free-to-Air (FTA) Direct-To-Home (DTH) Service where there is no monthly subscription fee from the viewers.
It also to be noted that this week Prasar Bharati has also issued a circular announcing multiple openings for the post of 'Marketing executive' across the country.
