Prasar Bharati has invited applications for the mid-year 99th online e-auction for allotment of vacant MPEG-4 slots on the DD Free Dish platform for the period between June 5, 2026 and March 31, 2027 on a pro-rata basis.

According to an official notice issued on May 18, 2026, the public broadcaster said the online e-auction process is tentatively scheduled to begin from May 26. The move comes as DD Free Dish continues to remain one of the country’s largest free-to-air direct-to-home platforms, offering broadcasters access to millions of television households across India.

The allotment process will be conducted under the e-auction Methodology 2025 for allocation of DD Free Dish slots to private TV channels. The policy framework was originally notified on January 3, 2025, along with subsequent amendments issued on January 9, 2025.

Prasar Bharati stated that only satellite television channels holding valid permission and licence from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will be eligible to participate in the auction process. The broadcaster further clarified that international public broadcasters permitted by the ministry will also be allowed to take part in the e-auction.

As per the notice, participating television channels will be categorised into different buckets based on language and genre for slot allocation. The classification system is aimed at streamlining the auction process and ensuring balanced representation of content across categories on the DD Free Dish platform.

DD Free Dish has emerged as a major distribution platform for broadcasters, particularly in the free-to-air segment, offering wide reach across regional and rural markets. The periodic e-auctions conducted by Prasar Bharati are closely tracked by television networks as they play a key role in channel distribution and audience expansion strategies.