MUMBAI: All the big four broadcasters that pulled out of DD Free Dish in 2019 after the new tariff order was implemented have come back on Prasar Bharati’s free direct-to-home (DTH) platform. Star Utsav, Sony Pal, Zee Anmol, Colors Rishtey and Zee Anmol Cinema have successfully bid on the 45th e-auction for placement.

Last year, top broadcasters agreed with the decision to no longer show any Hindi general entertainment and film channels on Doordarshan's free dish service. Industry sources said that broadcasters take such a decision so that cable and DTH customers cannot shift to DD Free Dish service.

According to reports, DD Free Dish has a base of 30 million households across India which offers huge reach helping in advertising revenue. However, the major broadcasters said earlier that converting the channels as pay channels helped them in subscription revenue despite a dip in ad revenue.

Notably, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) announced that Sony Pal, Star Utsav, Zee Anmol and Colors Rishtey would be available to all viewers across the country for a period of two months free of charge on all DTH and cable networks due to the lockdown.