Tag: Doordarshan FreeDish

MIB, Prasar Bharati mulling B-school help on DD & FreeDish biz models

MUMBAI: The government is exploring seeking help of an Indian Institute of Management to suggest ways on revitalising Doordarshan, including studying the existing business model of national broadcaster’s FTA DTH service DD FreeDish and whether further suggested improvements could be implemented.

According to government sources, the move is part of ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB)’s efforts to shore up the bottomlines of Prasar Bharati, an autonomous body that manages India’s two pubcasters, Doordarshan and All India Radio.

A B-school may be roped in to study the business model of DD FreeDish — that at present auctions slots on the platform to private broadcasters too — and explore whether if private sector TV channels are bumped off DD can generate revenue on the strength of its own channels, many of them also distributed terrestrially.

As per some media reports, DD not only put on hold the latest round of e-auctions for slots on FreeDish in August 2017 on an advisory from MIB, but has also stopped renewing agreements of TV channels, which are presently on the DTH platform but are faced with a blackout once their annual contract comes to an end.

A top Prasar Bharati official is said to have made a presentation to MIB minister Smriti Irani recently on how the DD set-up could be revitalised, including rejigging the business model for DD FreeDish, amongst other things.

Though most big private sector broadcasters like Star India, Zee, Viacom18 and Sony, all having their channels on FreeDish, have not yet officially reacted to DD FreeDish keeping in abeyance the e-auctions for administrative reasons, smaller TV channels may feel the pinch. One of them, Cinema 24×7, has moved the telecoms and broadcast disputes tribunal TDSAT seeking interim relief as its contract expired in September 2017 and, according to its petition, it failed to get clarifications from DD on future auctions.

The magic of DD’s FTA platform was discovered by TV channels a couple of years back with the battle for a slot intensifying in the last one year or so, egged on by BARC India starting to measure non-urban and rural audience. On DD FreeDish, it’s not pubcaster’s channels that top the list in terms of audience ratings, but mostly those belonging to the private broadcasters.

A TV executive, on the condition of anonymity, explained that while Doordarshan, as a statutory body, survives on annual grants from the government, in 2016-17, DD FreeDish recorded revenues of about Rs 2641.7 million, a 47 per cent increase from a year ago. Hence efforts to revamp the current business model for DD FreeDish, having almost 52 per cent rural viewership that attracts private TV channels willing to pay hefty carriage fee, could prove detrimental for the pubcaster’s revenue, the exec added.

Former MIB minister Manish Tiwari, while criticising DD’s reported moves to change the existing revenue models for DD FreeDish by putting on hold a transparent mechanism like e-auctions, told Indiantelevision.com, “DD FreeDish benefits from the presence of private TV channels on its platforms as it provides diversity of content to non-paying rural audiences.”

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October 12, 2017
WOW Cinema petitions TDSAT on delayed auctions for DD FreeDish slots

MUMBAI: Peeved by Doordarshan’s decision to keep a new round of e-auctions for slots for private TV channels on pubcaster’s FTA DTH service FreeDish on hold and fear of being shoved off the platform after annual contract expiry, WOW Cinema has moved disputes tribunal TDSAT questioning Prasar Bharati’s stand.

Wow Cinema’s manager Cinema 24×7 Pvt. Ltd. has requested telecoms and broadcast disputes tribunal TDSAT, amongst other temporary relief, to restrain DD’s parent Prasar Bharati from removing the TV channel from the DTH platform after expiry of the agreed terms in September 2017 till the final disposal of the present petition.

As reported by Indiantelevision.com earlier, slots for private broadcasters were not being filled up after falling vacant on DD FreeDish with the expiry of annual contracts, while Prasar Bharati has also reportedly put on hold a fresh round of e-auctions since August 2017 citing “administrative reasons”.

This stance of the pubcaster, according to the petition, would/could affect more TV channels on DD FreeDish. According to the petition, which is likely to come up for preliminary hearing on 12 October 2017 at TDSAT, on account of absence of clarity on e-auctions from Prasar Bharati and the agreement with the petitioner coming to an end September 2017, WOW Cinema would not be available to viewers of FreeDish despite the petitioner’s willingness to fulfil all future obligations as part of auto-renewal of the contract.

However, Prasar Bharati, through its counsel, has argued that since the petitioner was free to participate in a fresh round of auctions (as and when it happens) and would be governed by a fresh agreement on winning a slot, the request for an auto-extension was unfounded.

It was also submitted by Prasar Bharati that two more channels (VAA Movies and RT Movies) too had gone off DD FreeDish due to the expiry of their agreements in August 2017— and so Wow Cinema is not an exception.

DD FreeDish, a multi-channel FTA DTH service, was launched by Prasar Bharati in December 2004 and, at present, carried approximately 80 SD TV channels, along with 32 radio channels. This Ku-Band DTH service provides TV coverage throughout the Indian Territory (except Andaman & Nicobar islands) and, reportedly, has a subscriber base of about 22 millions.

Though FreeDish is now over a decade old, but it’s only in the last few years that private TV channels realised its importance and the platform’s reach. With BARC India starting to measure rural audience, the primary base of FreeDish, private broadcasters started to jump on to the FTA bandwagon — even paying sizable carriage fee. WOW Cinema, for example, paid Rs. 80 million in an e-auction for a year’s shelf life on DD’s KU-band platform.

Not only some private TV channels from the stable of big broadcast companies like Zee, Viacom18, Sony and Discovery, GECs and news channels included, had hopped on to the FTA bandwagon, but the likes of Star India had recently launched revamped or new TV channels (Star Bharat and Star Sports First) on the DD FreeDish with fresh programming to extend their reach and improve on audience measurement data.

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October 12, 2017
DD committed to truthful information & wholesome entertainment: Naidu

NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said the Government planned to enhance the reach of Doordarshan FreeDish by distributing Free DD direct-to-home boxes in remote and interior areas of the country through State Governments, especially in the LWE impacted areas.

He said the Ministry would be giving 10,000 DTH boxes to Chattisgarh for distribution in the LWE areas.

He claimed that DD FreeDish was the largest free DTH Service available to the people in the country and reached more than 22 million homes.

Stressing that Doordarshan was committed to truthful information and wholesome entertainment, Naidu was speaking at the release of 14 Short Films produced by DD showcasing the success stories under the various Flagship Schemes of the Government which had positively impacted people’s lives and had brought a transformational change in the country.

Prasar Bharati Chairman Surya Prakash and DD Director General Suprya Sahu were also present.

He said the films had successfully portrayed the underlying development narrative through testimonials from the beneficiaries at the field level all across the country.

Naidu said these films would be showcased on all Doordarshan channels in Hindi and all other Indian languages with the purpose to motivate and inspire others also to use the benefits under various Flagship Schemes of the Government. Such films would also be used by all other Media units of this Ministry to enhance outreach across media platforms.

The following themes have been covered in the short films produced by Doordarshan.
1. Mission Indradhanush
2. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna and Soil Health Card
3. Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas
4. Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana
5. Skill India
6. Beti Bachao Beto Padhao
7. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna
8. Kaushal Bharat Kushal Bharat
9. Pradahn Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna
10. National Solar Mission under Ujjwal Bharat

May 27, 2017
Doordarshan Freedish earns Rs 23.2 crore from 6 channels in 21st e-auction

NEW DELHI: Doordarshan has earned Rs 23.2 crore from the 21st online e-auction of six slots to Indian television channels on its free-to-air DTH platform Freedish.

DD’s target is to touch 112 television channels on Freedish over the next few months.

Against a reserve price of Rs 3.7 crore per slot for the online e-auction, DD earned as much as Rs 4.1 crore from Colors Rishtey, whereas Star Utsav got its slot for Rs 3.9 crore.

Doordarshan sources told Indiantelevision.com that the other slots went to Zee Anmol, Zee Sangam, Housefull Movies and B4U Music for Rs 3.8 crore each.

However, as per information available with this website, the bid amount had gone up to Rs 4.2 crore in one of the earlier e-auctions.

DD sources also said that while Freedish may be encrypted to keep a tab on the number of subscribers, it would continue to remain free-to-air.

The e-Auction was conducted by C1 India Pvt. Ltd., Noida on behalf of Prasar Bharati, thus marking a change in the auctioneer.

The reserve price in the 15th e-auction was Rs 3 crore and was raised to Rs 3.7 crore in the 16th auction.

The six channels were part of Freedish but had to re-bid as their contract had expired. Consequently, Freedish retains 64 channels including DD’s channels and Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV.

The participation amount (EMD) in the e-Auction was Rs 1.5 crore, which was deposited in advance along with a non-refundable processing fee of Rs 10,000 in favour of PB (BCI) Doordarshan Commercial Service, New Delhi.

Incremental amount for the auction was Rs 10 lakh and the time for every slot e-auction was of fifteen minutes duration.

Of the reserve price, Rs 1.1 crore will be deposited within one month of placement and another Rs 1.1 crore within two months along with service tax of 14 per cent on the bid amount.

The balance bid amount will be deposited within six months, failing which the reserve price will be forfeited.

Applicants had to provide details of the Uplink/Downlink permission documents received from the concerned Ministries with the applications to ensure they are not rejected.

August 23, 2015
Doordarshan Freedish to hold 20th online e-auction with Rs 3.7 crore reserve price

NEW DELHI: Two months after the last e-auction, Doordarshan will be holding the 20th e-auction for Freedish on 11 February in an attempt to touch the target of 112 television channels in the next few months.

Doordarshan has set a reserve price of Rs 3.7 crore per slot for the online e-auction; though Indiantelevision.com has learnt that the bid amount went up to Rs 4.2 crore in the 17th e-auction held on 12 November. This came shortly after the 16th e-auction on 28 October.

DD sources said while the 19th auction was to fill four slots, it had been decided not to disclose the number of slots in advance this time in order to prevent bidders forming consortia to bid or resort to other malpractices. (It is however learnt that the e-auction is to fill five to seven slots.)

Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar had said recently that the future of Doordarshan was in Freedish and digitization. He had added that this may mean that some channels would have to be attracted to Freedish by means other than e-auction.

DD sources also said that while Freedish may be encrypted to keep a tab on the number of subscribers, it would remain free-to-air.

The e-auction will be conducted by Synise Technologies Ltd., Pune on behalf of Prasar Bharati.

The reserve price in the 15th e-auction was Rs 3 crore and was raised to Rs 3.7 crore in the 16th auction.

Prior to the 16th auction, the total number of channels on Freedish was 58.

Meanwhile, a Doordarshan official declined to give the number of successful bids in recent auctions as engineers of the pubcaster had to test these channels before verifying any numbers.

The eligibility terms and conditions including other relevant details for this e-auction are displayed on DD website: www.ddindia.gov.in.

However, the participation amount (EMD) in the e-auction is Rs.1.5 crore, which will be deposited in advance on or before noon on 11 February along with a processing fee of Rs 10,000 (Non-refundable) in favour of PB (BCI) Doordarshan Commercial Service, New Delhi.

Applicants have also been asked manadatorily to deposit a Demand Draft of Rs 5,500 registration amount favouring Synise Technologies Ltd., payable at Pune at the time of submission of the application. The time for every slot e-auction will be of fifteen minutes duration.

The applicants must provide details of the uplink/downlink permission documents received from the concerned Ministries with the applications to ensure they are not rejected.

The demand drafts of unsuccessful bidders will be returned immediately or within a week after the e-auction process is completed.

January 30, 2015