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Tag: DD Free Dish

  • Shemaroo Entertainment launches Hindi GEC ‘Shemaroo Umang’ on DD Free Dish

    Shemaroo Entertainment launches Hindi GEC ‘Shemaroo Umang’ on DD Free Dish

    Mumbai: Shemaroo Entertainment has announced the launch of a new free-to-air hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) called ‘Shemaroo Umang’. The channel is available on DD Free Dish, various multi-system operators (MSOs) and will be available on major direct-to-home (DTH) and cable networks, according to the company’s statement.

    With the launch of the channel, Shemaroo Entertainment expands its broadcast portfolio with existing channels Shemaroo TV and Shemaroo MarathiBana. 

    The newly launched channel will bring a women-centric focus catering to their entertainment and aspirational needs, said the statement. 

    It will also offer advertisers and brands a new audience to reach out across the Hindi speaking market.

    “We have experienced immense success with our existing television channel slates and are excited to announce the launch of our new Hindi GEC ‘Shemaroo Umang’,” said Shemaroo Entertainment CEO Hiren Gada. 

    “We are committed to be a leader in the Indian entertainment industry and build our position in the market with the new launch,” he added.

    “The launch of Shemaroo Umang is another breakthrough for us as it strengthens our presence in the broadcast space,” said Shemaroo Entertainment COO – broadcasting business Sandeep Gupta. 

    “We are sure that the audiences will love our curated collection of some of the most admired shows and Shemaroo Umang will also soon emerge as a household name just like Shemaroo TV and Shemaroo MarathiBana,” Gupta added.

    The channel will also be distributed on Shemaroo’s OTT platform ShemarooMe.

  • GNT gains 7.6% share of HSM market in week 13 on free platforms: Barc

    GNT gains 7.6% share of HSM market in week 13 on free platforms: Barc

    Mumbai: Hindi news channel Good News Today (GNT) has captured 7.6 per cent market share on free platforms within the first month of ratings released by Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India. GNT is a part of India Today Group that showcases stories of hope, human triumph, innovation, and inspiration from different parts of the world.

    As per Barc ratings, the channel has topped rankings for the Hindi-speaking market region in terms of market share for week 13 of 2022 on free platforms.

    “GNT, which is uniquely positioned with its news packaged as humanely and emotionally positive, has found high appreciation amongst its viewers,” said the channel in a statement.

    Barc ratings have been released after a 17-month gap. GNT has a greater market share as compared to Zee News at 6.8 per cent, Zee Hindustan at 6.6 per cent, News Nation at 5.6 per cent, ABP News at 5.4 per cent, DD News with 2.6 per cent, and others in the 15+ target audience in the free all target category.  

    (Source: Barc India; TG: 15+ Free All; Market: HSM; Period: Wk 13’22; market share % in 13 Hindi News Channels)

  • DD Free Dish announces new channel numbers effective 1 April

    DD Free Dish announces new channel numbers effective 1 April

    Mumbai: Prasar Bharati’s free direct-to-home (DTH) platform DD Free Dish has announced the new channel numbers for 167 TV channels and 48 radio channels that will come into effect from 1 April. The TV channels comprise 91 Doordarshan channels including 51 cobranded educational channels and 76 private TV channels.

    The private TV channels bouquet comprises eight Hindi general entertainment channels, 15 Hindi movie channels, six music channels, 22 news channels, 9 Bhojpuri channels, four devotional channels and two foreign channels.

    “The new channel lineup has rendered the DD Free Dish bouquet more diverse and engaging than ever,” said the statement.  

    Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s dedicated food channel ‘Food Food’ has been added along with a new sports channel ‘MyCam.’

    In the latest e-auction for allotment of MPEG-2 slots of DD Free Dish, 63 channels were successfully allocated slots in various genres. The number of channels on DD Free Dish has also increased under multiple buckets this year. In the news and current affairs category, the number of channels has increased from 11 to 14, while the bucket of Hindi music, Hindi sports, Hindi teleshopping channels, Bhojpuri movies and Bhojpuri GEC has registered growth from 13 to 16.

    “With improved auction processes leading to addition of better quality and quantity of channels in various genres, between 2017 and 2022 alone, the free DTH service of Doordarshan clocked a stellar growth of almost 100 per cent from 22 million in 2017 to 43 million in 2022,” said the statement.

    “DD Free Dish has become the largest DTH platform with a reach of more than 43 million households,” said the statement.

    This year’s FICCI-EY report found that free television continued to grow its base to reach an estimated 43 million subscribers on the back of less expensive TV sets, economic issues, and the addition of new channels to the platform. The report also quoted Free Dish distributors mentioning the year-on-year growth in sales of DD Free Dish set-top-boxes.

    “In stark comparison to 22 million subscribers in 13 years between 2004 and 2017, DD Free Dish’s growth over the last five years stands out,” said the statement. “In just five years between 2017 and 2022, Free Dish has added another 21 million subscribers, taking the total to 43 million.”  

    The DD Free Dish set-top-box can be purchased for a one-time fee of Rs 2000 where the viewer does not have to pay any monthly subscription fee.

  • Hindi movie channel Dhinchaak renamed as Goldmines Movies

    Hindi movie channel Dhinchaak renamed as Goldmines Movies

    Mumbai:  Goldmines Telefilms’ Hindi movie channel Dhinchaak has been renamed as Goldmines Movies.

    The channel also announced its upcoming programming including the films “Ala Vaikunthapuramuloo,” “Annaathe,” “Viswasam,” “Vinaya Vidheya Rama,” “Sarkaru Vaari Paata,” “Sarkar,” “Bigil,” “Rangasthalam,” “Mersal,” “Maharshi,” “Sarileru Neekevvaru,” “Pushpa: The Rise,” and “Disco Raja” in a promo released on Saturday.

    Goldmines Telefilms launched Dhinchaak channel in May 2020 on Prasar Bharati’s free DTH platform DD Free Dish. The channel aired Hindi dubbed versions of popular South Indian films. The films are dubbed by the company.

    Since its launch on DD Free Dish, Dhinchaak went on to become the leading Hindi movies channel in the overall Hindi-speaking market (Urban plus Rural) as well as the rural market. The channel reached 70+ GRPs at the end of September 2020. The movie channel has a library of 2000 plus blockbuster films.

    “We are renaming ‘Dhinchaak’ to ‘Goldmines Movies’ (further to be changed to ‘Goldmines’ on receipt of MIB approval),” said Goldmines Telefilms CEO Joy Chakraborthy. “The programming, scheduling, and placement of the channels across MSOs and DTH operators would remain the same. Even the frequency of uploading and downloading from planetcast (up-linking partner) would remain the same.”

    Goldmines Telefilms goes big with Dhinchaak, aims to cover 90% HSM market  

    He added, “Barc/Yumi as a principal will now record Goldmines Movies as a new channel. There will be no ratings measurement from 26 March to 1 April (week 13). Hence there will be no data available for week 13 for Dhinchaak/Goldmines Movies. Our channel Goldmines Movies ratings for the period of 2-9 April will be released on 14 April i.e., week 14 and thereafter.”

  • Lifestyle channel FoodFood to go live on DD Free Dish starting 1 April

    Lifestyle channel FoodFood to go live on DD Free Dish starting 1 April

    Mumbai: Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s food and lifestyle channel FoodFood is set to go live on Prasar Bharati’s free-to-air DTH service DD Free Dish from 1 April.

    With this development, FoodFood becomes the only speciality channel to be made available on the largest DTH platform of the country reaching over 40 million households, said the statement. After consolidating its position in the primary and focus markets in India, FoodFood has become a popular choice of channel across International destinations and geographies, the statement added.

    “FoodFood has always been at the forefront of breaking barriers in the industry as the first 24×7 food lifestyle programming and now again being the first to reach rural audiences,” stated Sanjeev Kapoor. “I firmly believe that food is a universal language that breaks all barriers of cultures, races, and borders. With FoodFood, I want to reach as many people as possible looking for relevant content on food to make taste buds tantalised and possibly their lives brighter.”

    FoodFood is currently distributed through Tata Play and leading MSO’s across the country.

     

  • Contender GECs to make bigger dent in the free-to-air market

    Contender GECs to make bigger dent in the free-to-air market

    Mumbai: This year, the contender channels such as Shemaroo TV, The Q, and Azaad TV will be able to make a bigger dent in the FTA market due to the absence of big broadcasters’ Hindi general entertainment channels on Prasar Bharati’s DD Free Dish.

    The public broadcaster recently concluded its fourth annual e-auction for vacant MPEG-2 slots available on DD Free Dish. Hindi GECs like Shemaroo TV and The Q were once again able to secure slots for Rs 15.45 crore and Rs 15.4 crore, respectively.

    “Last year, the bidding process was highly competitive and we were the highest bidder in the Hindi GEC bucket at Rs 16.5 crore,” said The Q chief operating officer Krishna Menon. “We had a strategy in place and were sure that we had to be available on DD Free Dish come what may. This is because the kind of content we create is for the tier II, III and IV heartland audience and it is important for us to be present there.”

    Hindi GEC The Q became available on the DD Free Dish platform for the first time last year and saw its revenues grow by six times. The channel has launched a Marathi free-to-air channel this year. “We took a conscious call that The Q Marathi will not be on Free Dish even though it is a free-to-air channel,” Menon told IndianTelevision.com.

    ALSO READ | The Q’s client list has grown 6 times since its launch on DD Free Dish: CEO Simran Hoon

    Prasar Bharati’s free DTH platform caters to a TV audience of 40 million, many of whom are not willing to pay for content. This means that the channels which are allotted a slot on DD Free Dish have access to a whole new audience that remains untapped by the pay distribution operators.

    ALSO READ | How Dangal TV is ruling the heartland

    Enterr10 Television Network’s Hindi GEC Dangal crossed the 200 gross rating points (GRPs) threshold and became the top channel on TV for several consecutive weeks. This happened after Star, Sony, Zee and Viacom18 had pulled their FTA channels from Free Dish in 2019 and implementation of the new tariff framework (NTO). Dangal experimented with fresh content and was able to garner a significant share of viewership among free-to-air audiences.

    ALSO READ | Big four broadcasters come back on DD Free Dish

    However, in 2020, when leading broadcasters returned to the free DTH platform, the share of Dangal fell to 65-75 GRPs due to the intense competition in terms of content. “It’s not just enough to be available on Free Dish, even though that gives you a huge boost. Content is just as important. While Dangal had the best content among newcomers, if you compete with Star Utsav, they are working with completely different kind of budgets. When ‘Anupama’ (Star Utsav’s popular show) was available on Free Dish, it was unbeatable, but when the big broadcasters exited the platform then Dangal shows like ‘Mahima Shani Dev Ki’ and ‘Dwarakadhish’ were shattering records,” said industry observer Shrutish Maharaj.

    “It is a big boost for any FTA channel to be available on DD Free Dish from a potential viewership point of view but translating that into actual viewership will largely depend on content,” said Maharaj, adding that, “There will surely be an upswing for the newcomer channels but the quantum of upswing will be interesting to watch. Unlike 2019, there are more FTA channels in the GEC space and it will be interesting to see their journey in the wake of the latest developments.”

    “The upswing in GRPs also increases the bargaining power of broadcasters’ because of concentration of viewership in fewer channels in the FTA space,” he remarked. “Earlier, broadcasters were fighting for a piece of the same business and some channels were flexible with their ad rates to attract a share of ad volumes. This led to FTA advertising becoming a buyer-driven market. But a channel with a significant share of GRPs would be able to hold on to their ad rates in spite of the competition.”

    “Now that big four are going away, I’m sure that newcomers like Shemaroo TV, Azaad TV and The Q will benefit and take this opportunity to invest in content,” Maharaj further said. “The network broadcasters have not completely exited the free DTH platform as their movie channels are still available on Free Dish. The impact this strategy will have on the FTA viewership is a wait and watch.”

  • Free Dish MPEG-2 slots to be allotted on pro-rata basis in 59th e-auction: Prasar Bharati

    Free Dish MPEG-2 slots to be allotted on pro-rata basis in 59th e-auction: Prasar Bharati

    Mumbai: Prasar Bharati has invited applications for allotment of vacant MPEG-2 slots of DD Free Dish DTH platform on a pro-rata basis for the period from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. The e-auction process will be tentatively held on 23 March.

    The TV channels have been categorised into six buckets namely ‘R1,’ ‘A+,’ ‘A,’ ‘B,’ ‘C,’ and ‘D’ in accordance with the genre/language of the channel. Bucket R1 is reserved for devotional i.e, spiritual Aayush channels with a starting pro-rata reserve price set at Rs 20 crore. A+ is reserved for Hindi GEC channels with a reserve price starting at Rs 15.45 crore. Bucket A is reserved for Hindi movie channels with starting reserve price of Rs 13.05 crore. Bucket B is reserved for Hindi music channels, Hindi sports channels, Bhojpuri GEC channels, Bhojpuri movie channels, and Hindi teleshopping channels with a starting reserve price of Rs 11.10 crore. Bucket C is reserved for Hindi, English and Punjabi news and current affairs channels with a starting reserve price of Rs 10.05 crore. Bucket D is reserved for remaining language/genre channels with a reserve price of Rs 7.05 crore.

    Prasar Bharati has said that the e-auction will be bucket-wise starting with the bucket having the highest reserve price i.e, from ‘Bucket R1’, and will progressively go down in the order of reserve price. 

    The e-auction will be conducted in accordance with policy guidelines for allotment of DD Free Dish slots notified on 15 January 2019 and amended from time to time.

  • Manoranjan Group to launch Bhojpuri TV channel Manoranjan Prime

    Manoranjan Group to launch Bhojpuri TV channel Manoranjan Prime

    Mumbai: Manoranjan Group has announced a new Bhojpuri TV channel Manoranjan Prime scheduled for the launch in March. The channel will cater to audiences in Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, the media company said.

    Manoranjan Prime is a general entertainment channel that will showcase Bhojpuri films, TV shows and music. The channel will also telecast feature content from digital creators including YouTubers and social media influencers. The channel will provide an amalgamation of television and digital content for its viewers.

    The channel will be available on DD Free Dish and across all major multi-system operators (MSO) including cable operators and direct-to-home operators.

    “The Manoranjan Group is targeting the Bhojpuri speaking belt because of its rising potential,” said the statement. The group operates several channels such as Hindi movie channel Manoranjan TV, Punjabi movie channel Manoranjan Movies and Hindi GEC Manoranjan Grand over the years.

    “We are driving the next phase of expansion plans of the group in FM Radio/digital media and e-commerce,” said Manoranjan Group president Sahib Chopra. “Our vision is to make the organization a 360-degree media house with various verticals of Media and Entertainment in the next few years.The media landscape in India continues to expand rapidly and we are determined to leverage our current momentum in every way.”

    Creative Channel Advertising & Marketing was started in 1980 under the leadership of Babar Chopra. The company’s aim was to provide good content to their viewers which led to the beginning of Manoranjan Group and since then it has successfully stood out amidst its competitors.

    “With strong ratings and addition of new advertisers, the channels have been expanding its audience reach and revenue. The group aims to expand into segments and has identified a gap in the Bhojpuri genre to serve a holistic entertainment experience to the burgeoning middle class whose appreciation for good content is growing,” said the statement.

  • DD FreeDish MPEG4 57th e-auctions: 12 slots sold at average price of 1.27cr

    DD FreeDish MPEG4 57th e-auctions: 12 slots sold at average price of 1.27cr

    Mumbai: The results of the fourth annual/57th e-auction of MPEG-4 slots of DD FreeDish for the period from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 are out with a comparatively more number of channels.

    Starting at a reserve price of Rs 50 Lakhs, 12 slots were sold at an average slot price of Rs 1.27cr. The highest bid price was Rs 1. 6cr. Total 11 slots were sold in the third annual auction.

    Indicative of the increasing popularity of DD FreeDish, apart from more channels, the highest bidding price and the average revenue per slot for this auction have also gone up in comparison to last year. Registering a rise of 42.7 per cent, the average bid/revenue per slot has gone up from 0.89cr last year to 1.27cr this year. The highest bid price has gone up by 42.85 per cent from 1.12cr to 1.6cr.

    Among the applications received for e-auction from channels of different genres, 12 channels have been allocated the MPEG-4 slots on DD FreeDish. These include Aastha Bhajan, Bflix Movies, Chardikala Time TV, India News UP/UK, News 18 UP/UK, News 24 Think First, News India 24X7, News State UP/UK, Raftar, Samay, Sudarshan News, and Swadesh News.

    The channels will be on air on DD FreeDish from 1 April 2022, post the completion of formalities.

  • Prasar Bharati invites applications for vacant MPEG-2 DD Free Dish slots

    Prasar Bharati invites applications for vacant MPEG-2 DD Free Dish slots

    Mumbai: Prasar Bharati has invited applications for vacant MPEG-2 slots on free DTH platform DD Free Dish in the 58th e-auction process. The slots will be allowed for the period between 1 April and 31 March 2023, and the e-auction will be tentatively held from 7 March. 

    The public broadcaster has categorised different language/genre channels into six buckets and published their starting reserve price for the bidding process.

    Starting reserve price/annum for Hindi GECs (bucket A+) is Rs 15 crore, while Hindi movie channels (bucket A) will have to start the bid at Rs 12 crore. Hindi, English, and Punjabi news and current affairs channels (bucket C) will have to bid starting at Rs seven crore.

    For bucket B comprising all Hindi music and sports channels, Bhojpuri GECs and movies and Hindi teleshopping channels, the starting reserve price is Rs 10 crore. For all other remaining genre (language) channels in bucket D and devotional (spiritual/AAYUSH channels) in bucket R1 the starting reserve price is Rs six crore and three crore, respectively.

    Only satellite channels licensed by the MIB can take part in the e-auction. Only companies holding valid permission from the ministry or their authorised distributor partners can apply for participation.

    In case the applicant company is other than the licensee, the document/agreement signed between the license-holder company and the applicant company authorising the applicant/bidder for distribution of the channel and bidding on behalf of the licensee must be submitted.

    International public broadcasters licensed by the MIB can also participate in the e-auction.