DD Free Dish 98th e-Auction 2026 – MPEG-2 Slots Open for Private TV Channels From 29 May

Prasar Bharati has launched the DD Free Dish 98th e-Auction for MPEG-2 slots, inviting private satellite television broadcasters to apply for carriage on India’s largest free-to-air DTH platform for the period 29 May 2026 to 31 March 2027. The notice, issued on 11 May 2026 under reference No. DDFD/3(1)/2026/Platforms, sets the online auction date as 21 May 2026 (Thursday) and the application deadline as 18 May 2026 by 3:00 p.m.

This is a mid-year auction — not the standard annual cycle — which means slots are being allotted on a pro-rata basis for the remaining months of the financial year. For broadcasters who missed the 94th annual e-auction or for those whose slots have since become vacant, this is the earliest opportunity to secure a position on a platform that reaches over 4.5 crore households across rural and semi-urban India.

DD Free Dish 98th e-Auction 2026 – At a Glance

Why This Auction Is Running Now — the Mid-Year Context

Prasar Bharati runs its primary annual slot auctions early in the calendar year, typically in January or February. The 94th e-auction — the 8th Annual auction — was held in February 2026 and generated ₹642 crore, with 55 MPEG-2 slots sold for the April 2026 to March 2027 period. That was a notable dip from ₹780 crore raised in FY25-26, reflecting a reduced number of slots on offer and cautious bidding amid revised eligibility norms.

Mid-year auctions like the 98th e-auction are held when slots become vacant — either because a successful bidder failed to place their channel within the one-month commencement window, withdrew prematurely, or defaulted on payment installments. These auctions are governed by the same E-auction Methodology 2025 (as amended on 09 January 2026) that governs the annual process. For broadcasters, a mid-year slot means a shorter carriage period but also a lower pro-rata reserve price — which is reflected in this auction’s starting bids.

📌 Also Read: DD Free Dish Auction 2026 Winner List — results from the annual 94th e-auction held in February.

How the Five-Bucket System Works for Private TV Channels

The DD Free Dish MPEG-2 slot e-auction categorises private satellite channels into five bidding buckets based on genre and language. This structure has remained broadly consistent since the 2025 methodology was introduced, though the now-eliminated “Bucket R” for regional languages was folded into Bucket D under the January 2026 amendment. For this 98th auction, the bucket and reserve price structure is as follows:

Bucket A+ covers General Entertainment Channels (GEC) in Hindi and Urdu — consistently the most contested category because of DD Free Dish’s penetration in Hindi-belt states. Bucket A handles Hindi and Urdu movie channels. Bucket B brings in music, sports, Bhojpuri, and all other Hindi/Urdu genres. Bucket C is for Hindi and Urdu news and current affairs channels. Bucket D — the most inclusive — covers devotional and spiritual channels, Marathi and Punjabi content, English news, and regional language channels listed under Schedule 8 of the Constitution of India (excluding Hindi and Urdu).

The auction structure allows lower-bucket channels to participate in higher-round bidding, but only if higher-bucket winners are already secured. A Bucket D channel, for instance, may participate from Round 1 if slots remain available. This cascade mechanism is designed to maximise slot utilisation while protecting premium categories from undervalued bids.

Who Can Apply — and Who Cannot

Only satellite television channels that hold a valid permission and licence from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) are eligible to participate. Companies without current MIB permission cannot apply, regardless of their broadcasting history. International public broadcasters licensed by MIB are also permitted to bid.

The content compliance rules introduced under the 2025 methodology apply in full. A channel that wins a slot must ensure that at least 75% of its monthly programming — excluding advertisements — is in the declared genre and language. In practical terms, the declared genre and language content must constitute no less than 60% of the channel’s total monthly output. Prasar Bharati has a committee mechanism to review suspected violations and can issue show-cause notices, require genre changes, or discontinue slots for persistent non-compliance.

⚠️ Applications that carry ambiguous, conflicting, or unclear genre and language declarations will be rejected outright. Make sure all documentary proof is clear before uploading.

How to Apply — Fees, Documents, and the Submission Process

Applications must be submitted online at https://fdslots.prasarbharati.org. The non-refundable processing fee of ₹25,000 must be paid on the portal at the time of submission. This amount is not adjustable against the participation fee or the final bid amount — it is a one-time administrative cost.

The participation fee of ₹1,50,00,000 (Rupees One Crore Fifty Lakhs) is separate and must be paid either by Demand Draft or through RTGS/NEFT/ECS to the following bank account:

If the participation fee is paid via Demand Draft, the original DD — along with a printout of the online application acknowledgement — must be submitted in a sealed envelope, in person or by Speed/Registered Post, to the Deputy Director (Platforms), Room No. 601, Tower-A, Directorate General: Doordarshan, Doordarshan Bhawan, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi-110001, by 18 May 2026 at 3:00 p.m.

💡 If paying by RTGS, you still need to upload a self-attested PDF screenshot as proof of the transfer. Keep your UTR number ready before starting the online application.

All supporting documents referenced in Annexure-1 must be uploaded in PDF format, with each file not exceeding 1.0 MB. Additionally, broadcasters must submit an Undertaking (Annexure-2), an Authorisation Letter for the designated representative (Annexure-3), and a duly signed Integrity Pact (Annexure-4).

📌 Also Read: Prasar Bharati WAVES OTT – India’s Own Digital Streaming Powerhouse

What Happens After a Successful Bid — Allotment, Payments, and Penalties

After the e-auction closes, Prasar Bharati issues a Letter of Allotment to each winning bidder, along with a Payment Schedule and the format of the Agreement to be signed. The Agreement must be returned in two original signed copies within 15 days of the Letter of Allotment date. Once the 1st payment installment of the carriage fee is received, the channel is placed on a vacant slot and assigned a Logical Channel Number (LCN) as per the procedure dated 09 January 2025.

Payment timelines are strict. If any installment is not received on the due date, a 7-day email notice is issued. If still unpaid, a formal notice follows with 21 more days to clear the dues, along with interest charged at 14.5% per annum on the outstanding amount from the original due date. Non-payment after the 21-day window results in forfeiture of the participation fee and all installments already paid, and the channel is discontinued from DD Free Dish without further notice.

For unsuccessful bidders, the participation fee of ₹1.5 crore is refunded within three weeks after the auction results are declared.

What This Means for Broadcasters Watching DD Free Dish

The 98th auction arrives in a meaningful context. The annual 94th e-auction raised ₹642 crore — down from ₹780 crore the previous year — with fewer slots sold. That moderation partly reflects the tighter eligibility framework introduced in the 2025 methodology amendment, which eliminated speculative bidding by non-operational entities and raised the floor for regional language channels. But it also reflects a broader recalibration: broadcasters are weighing Free Dish reach against rising reserve prices and the growing audience pull of digital platforms.

For channels that serve Hindi-belt, rural, and semi-urban audiences — particularly in GEC, news, and devotional genres — DD Free Dish remains one of the most cost-efficient distribution channels in the country. A mid-year slot at a pro-rata reserve price is, in effect, a discounted entry point compared to the annual auction’s starting prices (₹15 crore for Bucket A+ in February versus ₹13.67 crore here). The timing is not coincidental: Prasar Bharati is keeping the platform competitive and its inventory utilised, even as it expands its digital footprint through the WAVES OTT platform.

📌 Also Read: WAVES OTT App Pre-install on Smart TVs India — how Prasar Bharati is extending its reach beyond satellite.

What Comes Next — Key Dates and Deadlines

The window for this auction is extremely tight. From notification to auction day is just 10 days, which means broadcasters need to act immediately.

Prasar Bharati has the authority to extend the auction to the following day if required. It also reserves the right to accept, reject, cancel, or amend any bid or slot at any point during or after the auction process. Successful channels have one month from the allotment commencement date to place their channel on the allocated slot — failing which the allotment is cancelled automatically and all fees are forfeited.

Important Links

Frequently Asked Questions

Summing Up…

The DD Free Dish 98th e-Auction is a narrow but meaningful opportunity for private satellite TV broadcasters to secure a slot on India’s most widely penetrated free-to-air DTH platform. With pro-rata reserve prices lower than the annual auction cycle and an allotment period running through 31 March 2027, it gives broadcasters a working runway of nearly 10 months — at a comparatively accessible starting bid. The window to apply is short: everything must be in place by 18 May 2026 at 3:00 p.m., with the auction itself scheduled just three days later.

If your channel holds valid MIB permission and is operational, and if reaching rural and semi-urban India matters to your distribution strategy, this is a deadline worth meeting.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on the official Prasar Bharati notification dated 11 May 2026, reference No. DDFD/3(1)/2026/Platforms, issued by P. S. Srivastava, DDG (Platforms). All details are subject to official announcements and amendments from Prasar Bharati and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Govtserviceinfo.com is not affiliated with Prasar Bharati or any government body. Readers are advised to verify all information from the official portal at https://fdslots.prasarbharati.org before submitting any application or payment.