Aaj Tak and Big Magic are new entrants to DD Free Dish platform

24th e-auction fetches DD Free Dish 31.2 crores

New Delhi : Doordarshan has earned Rs 31.2 crore (Rs 312 million) by selling five slots on its direct-to-home (DTH) platform DD Free Dish, during the e auction. The twenty fourth e auction was held yesterday at Doordarshan Bhawan, Mandi House, New Delhi.

The DTH platform has added two new channels, namely Hindi news channel ‘Aaj Tak’ and Hindi entertainment channel ‘Big Magic’. Three existing channels, namely India News, News 24 and hindi movie channel, Manoranjan TV, have extended their contract by another year.

News 24 bid the highest among the five winners at Rs 6.5 crore (Rs 65 million). Manoranjan TV made the second highest bid at Rs 6.4 crore (Rs 64 million), followed by India News at Rs 6.3 crore (Rs 63 million).

Aaj Tak and Big Magic bid Rs 6 crore each (Rs 60 million) to join the DTH platform. It is significant to note that both Aaj Tak and Big Magic are pay channels.

The new rural rating mechanism adopted by BARC has pushed channels, to take a strong headed decision thereby expanding their reach in rural areas. DD Free Dish with an estimated 18–20 million subscribers is an effective platform to reach those markets.

“We have mopped up Rs 31.2 crore from five slots. Aaj Tak and Big Magic are new additions. They are paying Rs 6 crore each. News 24, Manoranjan TV and India News have extended their contract. They are paying Rs 6.5 crore, Rs 6.4 crore and Rs 6.3 crore respectively,” Doordarshan DDG (Comm. & Sales) CK Jain said.