India’s Free-To-Air (FTA) broadcasting landscape, Prasar Bharati has announced the winners of the 7th Annual (86th) e-auction for MPEG-4 slots on DD Free Dish. A total of 26 channels successfully secured slots during the auction, which was held on March 4, 2025.

The winning channels span a diverse range of categories, including news, devotional content, regional entertainment, and general entertainment. This expansion is expected to further strengthen DD Free Dish, India’s largest free DTH platform, by offering audiences a richer and more varied content experience.

Among the successful bidders are:

Devotional Channels: Aastha Telugu, Aastha Bhajan, Aastha Gujarati, Aastha Kannada, Shraddha MH ONE, and Sharnam TV.
News Channels: Bansal News, Bharat 24 Vision of New India, Chardikla Time TV, Jai Maharashtra, MH ONE NEWS, Sudarshan News, TV9 Gujarati, TV9 Telugu, V TV News, and Zee 24 Kalak.

Entertainment & Regional Channels: Gangaur Television, Live Times, Maiboli, MH ONE, MH ONE DIL SE, Oscar Movies Bhojpuri, Pasand, Prag News, Raapchik, and Rengoni.

The inclusion of TV9 Gujarati, TV9 Telugu, and Zee 24 Kalak is a significant move that strengthens regional news coverage on DD Free Dish, catering to diverse linguistic audiences across the country. Additionally, devotional content continues to remain a major draw, with multiple Aastha channels securing slots.

The expansion of MPEG-4 slots aims to enhance the quality of transmission while ensuring that a wider variety of content remains accessible to millions of viewers without any subscription cost.

With the growing popularity of DD Free Dish, Prasar Bharati’s latest e-auction marks another step toward expanding the reach of free television in India, making diverse content available to audiences in even the most remote parts of the country.