New Delhi, January 14, 2026 – Prasar Bharati has officially invited applications for the allotment of vacant MPEG-2 slots on the DD Free Dish DTH Platform. This upcoming 8th Annual (94th) online e-auction is for the period starting April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027.
94th Auction Dates -
Broadcasters looking to secure a spot on India's largest free-to-air DTH platform should mark their calendars:
Application Last Date -
Completed online applications must be submitted by February 9, 2026, at 3:00 p.m.
Auction Start Date -
The e-auction is tentatively scheduled to begin on February 16, 2026.
Training Session -
Prasar Bharati will provide online training to all eligible participants before the actual bidding commencement.
Reserve Prices and Buckets -
The e-auction is categorized into five buckets based on genre and language, with reserve prices starting as follows:
Bucket Genre / Language Starting Reserve Price
A+ GEC (Hindi/Urdu) Rs. 15.00 Crore
A Movies (Hindi/Urdu) Rs. 12.00 Crore
B Music, Sports (Hindi/Urdu), Bhojpuri, etc. Rs. 10.00 Crore
C News & Current Affairs (Hindi/Urdu) Rs. 7.00 Crore
D Devotional, Regional, English News Rs. 6.00 Crore
Note: For subsequent rounds, the reserve prices will increase (e.g., Bucket A+ starts at Rs. 16 Crore in Round 2).
Strict Guidelines -
The 2026 notification emphasizes strict adherence to declared genres and languages. Channels must ensure that at least 75% of their content (excluding advertisements and promos) matches the genre and language declared during the application. Effectively, this means the declared content cannot fall below 60% of the total monthly broadcast. Violators may face a show-cause notice and potential removal from the platform.
Application Requirements -
Broadcasters must meet the following financial and legal requirements to participate -
Eligibility -
Only satellite channels licensed by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) are eligible.
Processing Fee -
A non-refundable fee of Rs. 25,000 must be paid online.
Participation Fee -
A deposit of Rs. 1.50 Crore is required via RTGS/NEFT or Demand Draft.
Integrity Pact -
All applicants must submit a signed Integrity Pact to ensure a fair and transparent process.
Interested broadcasters can apply online through the official portal at https://fdslots.prasarbharati.org.