DD Free Dish e-auctions: Hindi news rates halve for first six Bucket C slots

New Delhi: The second day of the DD Free Dish e-auctions saw a sharp correction in Hindi news pricing, with the first six slots in Bucket C closing in a narrow band of Rs 8.6 crore to Rs 8.65 crore.

NDTV India, like last year, emerged as the first successful bidder in the Hindi news bucket, picking up the opening slot for Rs 8.6 crore. Republic Bharat, Zee News and India TV followed, buying a slot each at the same price of Rs 8.6 crore.

News Nation and ABP News were the fifth and sixth successful bidders in Bucket C, and both paid Rs 8.65 crore.

Bucket C, which is reserved for Hindi news channels, carries a reserve price of Rs 7 crore.

The Day 2 outcomes indicate premiums of about 23–24 per cent over the reserve, but at levels far below last year’s first-round clearances.

In 2025, the first round of Bucket C opened at Rs 14.35 crore for NDTV India, and the bidding price then eased with each subsequent slot.

Republic Bharat had bought the second slot for Rs 14.2 crore, News18 India the third for Rs 14.1 crore, ABP News the fourth for Rs 14 crore, Zee News the fifth for Rs 13.55 crore and Times Now Navbharat the sixth for Rs 13.4 crore.

Bucket C: 2026 vs 2025 (first six slots)