Prasar Bharati may revise its DD Free Dish auction methodology ahead of the next annual bidding cycle in January 2027, amid declining auction collections and repeated attempts to fill vacant channel slots.

The public broadcaster is examining the changing market conditions surrounding its free-to-air direct-to-home (DTH) platform, which has long been an important distribution route for broadcasters seeking to reach audiences across India’s Hindi-speaking belt and price-sensitive television households.

DD Free Dish has traditionally offered broadcasters access to a large audience without requiring viewers to pay a monthly subscription. However, despite the platform’s continued reach, demand for its channel slots appears to be changing, with vacant capacity increasingly being put up for auction again.

Government data puts DD Free Dish’s reach at approximately 49 million households in 2024, up from 33 million in 2018. The latest FICCI-EY estimates place the free television universe supported by Free Dish at around 53 million households in 2025.

The figures underline the platform’s continued presence in India’s television market, even as its auction system faces new challenges. The platform once attracted intense competition for limited MPEG-2 channel capacity, but repeated attempts to fill vacant slots have raised questions about the current auction methodology and market demand.

Sources indicated that Prasar Bharati may review the existing process before the January 2027 auction cycle. The possible changes come as the broadcaster assesses declining auction collections, unfilled capacity and broader pressures facing linear television.

Any revision to the auction rules would follow an assessment of market conditions and consultations with industry stakeholders. However, the broadcaster has not yet announced specific changes to the methodology.

The outcome of the review could be significant for television broadcasters that rely on DD Free Dish to reach viewers without subscription costs, particularly in markets where affordability remains a key factor in television consumption.