Prasar Bharati 95th DD Free Dish e-auction, new MPEG-2 prices notified

New Delhi: Prasar Bharati has opened applications for the Mid-Year 95th e-Auction for allotment of vacant MPEG-2 slots on the DD Free Dish platform for the two-month period from February 1, 2026, to March 31, 2026, with pro-rata reserve prices, a January 21 deadline, and a restructured bucket system following the formal removal of Bucket R from the MPEG-2 framework.

According to the notice, broadcasters can apply online till 3:00 PM on January 21, 2026. The mid-year auction will be conducted in multiple rounds, starting with a reserve price of Rs 2,63,48,000 for Bucket A+, followed by Rs 2,10,14,000 for Bucket A, Rs 1,78,62,000 for Bucket B, Rs 1,33,27,000 for Bucket C, and Rs 1,13,96,000 for Bucket D. 

Eligibility will narrow round by round, with the auction ending at Bucket D, which will now serve as the final bidding stage.

The participation fee for the auction has been fixed at Rs 1.5 crore, while channels in Bucket C and Bucket D will be required to pay 60% of the applicable reserve price or Rs 1.5 crore, whichever is lower. In addition, a non-refundable processing fee of Rs 25,000 must be paid online for submission of the application.

The mid-year auction notice follows Prasar Bharati’s first amendment to the DD Free Dish e-auction methodology. The amendment, which came into force on 9 January 2026, removes the separate Bucket R construct from the MPEG-2 auction map and folds all Schedule 8 regional-language channels, except Hindi and Urdu, into Bucket D.

Under the earlier methodology, regional-language channels were split across two buckets. Marathi and Punjabi channels were placed in Bucket D, while other Schedule 8 languages, excluding Hindi, Urdu, Marathi and Punjabi, were grouped under a separate Bucket R with its own reserve prices, reserved slots and bidding rounds. That entire structure has now been eliminated, consolidating all regional-language channels into a single bucket.

This consolidation significantly alters the entry point for regional broadcasters. Under the previous system, Bucket R offered a lower entry price, starting at Rs 3 crore in the first round and rising to Rs 4 crore in the final round under the full-year auction methodology. With Bucket R removed, regional-language channels must now bid under Bucket D pricing, which stands at Rs 6 crore in the first round and Rs 7 crore in later rounds in the standard MPEG-2 auction structure.

The amendment also shortens the auction ladder. Earlier, the bidding sequence extended through a final, regional-only round reserved for Bucket R applicants. With the revised framework, the auction now concludes at Bucket D, and the reserved slot block that earlier existed for Bucket R has been removed from the MPEG-2 process.

Bucket classification continues to be based on genre and language. Bucket A+ includes Hindi and Urdu general entertainment channels. 

Bucket A covers Hindi and Urdu movie, music and sports channels. Bucket B includes Bhojpuri channels and other Hindi and Urdu genres not covered elsewhere, excluding devotional, spiritual and Ayush content. 

Bucket C comprises Hindi and Urdu news channels, devotional, spiritual and Ayush channels, all regional-language channels under the Eighth Schedule except Hindi and Urdu, and English news and current affairs channels. Bucket D now fully absorbs the regional-language universe along with English news and devotional genres.

Prasar Bharati has reiterated strict compliance norms on content declaration. Channels must ensure that at least 75 percent of content, excluding advertisements and promos, is in the declared genre and language, and that such content does not fall below 60 percent of total monthly broadcast. Any violation will be reviewed by a committee and may result in penalties, including discontinuation from DD Free Dish.