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New Delhi: NDTV India emerged as the first successful bidder in Bucket C reserved for the Hindi news genre at the ongoing DD Free Dish e-auctions, picking up the first slot for Rs 8.6 crore.
Like last year, the Adani Group-owned channel was the first winner in the Hindi news bucket, setting the opening benchmark for the category this season.
Also read: DD Free Dish e-auction 2026: 8 slots sold on Day 1 as bids fall below 2025 levels
Bucket C has a reserve price of Rs 7 crore.
NDTV India’s bid implies a premium of about 23 per cent over the reserve price.
The Hindi news bucket is among the most competitive categories on DD Free Dish and has historically seen aggressive bidding, including instances of channels paying multiples of the base price.
Last year, NDTV India had secured the first slot in Bucket C for Rs 14.35 crore, which was about 20 per cent lower than the previous year’s opening benchmark.
Zee News had been the first successful bidder in the category in 2024 at Rs 18.75 crore, with Hindi news channels then spending in the range of Rs 16.35 crore to Rs 18.95 crore.