DD Freedish invites applications for vacant MPEG-4 and MPEG-2 slots

Delhi: Parasar Bharati will conduct the 77th and 78th online e-auction for its free DTH (direct-to-home) platform, DD Free Dish, on May 30, 2024, tentatively, to allot vacant MPEG-4 and MPEG-2 slots.

The MPEG-4 slots will be auctioned for the period from June 4, 2024, to March 31, 2025, whereas MPEG-2 slots will be auctioned for the period from June 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025.

If media reports are to be believed, Prasar Bharati is all set to increase DD Freedish slots next year. It is expected that the free-to-air platform may add 40 slots.

The public broadcaster is reportedly planning to add new transponders to its inventory to increase the number of existing slots as the demand for FTA channels remains high. 

While the base price for MPEG-2 slots remains fragmented depending upon the bucket category (refer to the table below), the base price per MPEG-4 slot has been kept at Rs 1.66 crore per annum.

Interested broadcasters are mandated to pay a participation fee of Rs 1.5 crore and a processing fee of Rs 25,000 for an MPEG-2 slot along with clear and unambiguous proof in support of their genre and language classification of their channel.

Broadcasters desirous of allotment of vacant MPEG-4 slots are required to pay the non-refundable processing fee of Rs 25,000 and a participation fee of Rs 10 lakhs.

The e-auction will be conducted as per the E-auction Methodology as notified by Prasar Bharati on January 27, 2023, and subsequent amendments which are available on the Prasar Bharati website. 

The terms and conditions of the auction are that the declared genre and language of a channel shall not be less than 60 per cent of the entire content of the channel in a month. Refer to Prasar Bharati 77th and 78th e-auction notification on the Prasar Bharati website.

The last date for submission of applications for MPEG-4 slots is May 29, 2024, and MPEG-2 applications are to be submitted by May 27, 2024.