With this latest expansion, DD Free Dish has made a powerful statement about inclusive access to information and entertainment. By adding more regional channels, it’s bridging the media gap and empowering millions across South India and beyond — all without monthly fees.
In a major drive for regional inclusion and digital reach, the Government of India has unveiled a major extension of DD Free Dish to South India. The government-owned free-to-air satellite television platform will have additional regional language channels, particularly addressing Tamil-, Telugu-, Kannada-, and Malayalam-speaking populations.
This move is part of Prasar Bharati’s mission to enhance public broadcasting, especially in underserved areas, and aligns with the government’s Digital India and One Nation, One Platform vision.
DD Free Dish is India's sole free Direct-To-Home (DTH) service, run by Doordarshan, a public television broadcaster under Prasar Bharati. It began in 2004 and spread quickly as a lifeline for rural and economically disadvantaged sections who cannot afford to pay for costly cable or private DTH services.
With more than 370+ TV channels and 40+ radio stations, it provides a diverse mix of channels, news, education, and infotainment — completely free, with no charges for monthly subscriptions.
Historically, DD Free Dish has witnessed greater adoption in Hindi-speaking northern and central states but comparatively low penetration in Southern India, where regional content demand is extremely high.
New Regional Channels on DD Free Dish (As of July 2025)
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Prasar Bharati have added several new South Indian regional channels to DD Free Dish. DD Free Dish expands to Southern India with more regional channels in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. Check list of some popular free channels in 2025
These include:
Punjabi Channels -
Chardikla Time Tv
Tabbar Hits
Living india
MH1 News
Manoranjan Movies
DD Punjabi
Punjabi Hits
Gujarati Channels
TV9 Gujarati
VTV News
Sandesh News
DD Girnar
Odia channels
Zee24 Kalak
Argus TV
DD Odia
Tamil Channels -
DD Tamil
DD Tamil HD
Telugu channels
TV9 Telugu
Aastha Telugu
DD Saptagiri
North East Channels
Prag News
DD Assam
DD Arunprabha
DD Tripura
DD Meghalaya
DD Nagaland
DD Mizoram
Kannada Channels
Aastha Kannada
DD Chandana
Bengali Channels -
Rengoni TV
DD Bangla
Marathi Channels -
Jai Maharashtra
Maiboli TV
Fakt Marathi
TV9 Marathi
Shemaroo Marathibana
Zee Chitramandir
DD Sahyadri
Sun Marathi
Malayalam Channels -
DD Malayalam
Bhojpuri Channels -
Filamachi Bhojpuri
Bhojpuri Cinema
B4U Bhojpuri
Raapchik
Pasand TV
Oscar Movies
Dabangg TV
DD Bihar
Zee Biskope
DD Jharkhand
with Popular Hindi TV channels
DD National HD
DD Kisan
Sun Neo
Sony PAL
Sony Wah
Zee Action
Zee Anmol cinema 2
Zee Anmol Cinema
Zee Anmol
Star Utsav Movies
Star Utsav
Colors Cineplex Bollywood
Colors rishtey
Colors Cineplex Superhits
Goldmines
Goldmines Bollywood
Goldmines Movies
Shemaroo TV
Shemaroo Umang
Chumbak TV
Nazara TV
Showbox
B4u Music
B4u Movies
Dangal TV
Dangal TV 2
The Q
Big Magic
Unique TV
All Time Movies
Manoranjan Prime
Masti, etc.
So you can see DD Free Dish Expands South Reach with More Regional Channels. You can find DD Free Dish 2025 Channel List (MPEG-2) (HD) and (MPEG-4).
Source: DD Free Dish expands South reach with more regional channels: Govt