Prasar Bharati opens free MPEG-4 DD Free Dish slots for under-represented regional channels

New Delhi: Prasar Bharati has announced a new initiative to provide free MPEG-4 slots on its DD Free Dish platform, aiming to boost the visibility of under-represented regional language channels and enhance public-interest broadcasting across diverse linguistic communities.

In its 93rd notification issued today, Prasar Bharati invited applications from eligible satellite TV channels in unrepresented or underrepresented languages, including Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali (Bangla), Assamese, and Odia.

The slots will be allotted on a pilot basis, free of cost, until March 31, 2026, targeting channels that have been continuously available to viewers for at least the last three years.

The move prioritises news channels over non-news ones in these regional languages, with a clear preference for those that can demonstrate predominant content in their declared genre and language.

"This is about addressing gaps in regional representation on our free-to-air platform," the notification emphasised, highlighting the need for channels to maintain at least 75% of their telecast in the specified genre and language, while ensuring advertisements do not exceed 60% of content per the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.

Eligible applicants must hold valid permissions from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and submit proof of their channel's classification, such as BARC viewership data from the last six weeks or a DAVP rate card.

New and under-testing channels will be limited to streams on TS#7/TS#8 of MPEG-4. Broadcasters from previous auctions before the 2025-26 period are ineligible for this free allotment.

Applications are to be submitted online by December 10, 2025, at 3:00 PM, with physical documents accepted at Prasar Bharati's offices if not uploaded.

Required documents include copies of downlinking and uplinking permissions, evidence of genre and language from regulatory authorities, a fixed-point chart of program schedules for recent months, and an undertaking affirming compliance with content rules.

Selected channels will receive a "Letter of Allotment" and must sign an agreement within 10 days. For IRD box channels, providers are required to supply dual IP multicast output and SDI at least one week in advance at Doordarshan’s DTH station in Todapur, New Delhi. Violations of terms could lead to default notices, rectification demands, or slot cancellation.