Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has invited bids for its 90th e-auction to allot vacant MPEG-2 slots on DD FreeDish for the period from August 29, 2025, to March 31, 2026, on a pro-rata basis. The online auction is tentatively scheduled to begin on August 20, 2025.

According to the August 11 notification, the process will be conducted under the existing E-auction Methodology for DD FreeDish slots, as outlined on the Prasar Bharati website. Eligible participants include satellite TV channels with valid permission from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), as well as international public broadcasters approved by the ministry.

Channels will be grouped into genre-language buckets ranging from Hindi/Urdu general entertainment (Bucket A+) to other regional language categories (Bucket R), with reserve prices starting at Rs.9.60 crore for Bucket A+ and going down to Rs.1.76 crore for Bucket R.

Prasar Bharati has stressed that participating channels must ensure at least 75 percent of their monthly programming matches their declared genre and language, excluding advertisements. Non-compliance could lead to termination of their slot.

Applications must be submitted online with all documents in PDF format, alongside a non-refundable processing fee of Rs.25,000. A participation fee of Rs.1.5 crore is also required, payable via demand draft or electronic transfer. Applicants must additionally provide an integrity pact, authorized representative details, and undertakings in the prescribed formats.