“Sony Pal and Colors Rishtey have not been added to DD Free Dish as both channels have backed out despite winning slots in a recent e-auction,” said an industry executive on conditions of anonymity.
A senior TV distribution professional said that the pay broadcasters are in a very tricky situation since the pull-out from DD Free Dish has not yielded the desired results.
“If we pull out Hindi GECs from DD Free Dish, our ad revenue from these channels goes for a toss. If we keep our channels on the platform then the overall pay-TV industry will get impacted,” he stated.
Prior to their exit from DD Free Dish, the four channels collectively earned ad revenue in the ₹1,000-1,200 crore range, as per market estimates.
DD Free Dish is Prasar Bharati’s free direct-to-home (DTH) platform that reaches an estimated 43 million homes. It’s the single largest TV distribution platform in the country in terms of reach.
As of June 30, 2022, the total pay DTH active subscriber base – Tata Play, Airtel Xtream, Dish TV and Sun Direct – stood at 67.04 million. Queries sent to Sony and Viacom18 didn’t elicit any response till the time of filing this report.
