Dish TV moves Kerala HC against DD free dish's special status

Mumbai: Direct-to-home (DTH) operator Dish TV has approached the Kerala High Court seeking directions to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to bring Prasar Bharati-owned DD Free Dish under the same regulatory framework as private DTH platforms.

In its petition, the company has urged the court to mandate encryption and Digital Addressable System (DAS) requirements for DD Free Dish under existing laws, including the Indian Telegraph Act, the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, and broadcasting regulations.

It has also sought a declaration that the platform's continued operation in an unencrypted, non-addressable mode is arbitrary, discriminatory, and violative of constitutional provisions guaranteeing equality, free speech, and the right to trade.


Encrypted TV signals can only be watched by paying subscribers using authorised set-top boxes, while unencrypted signals are free and can be accessed by anyone with a plain set top box and dish.

The petition by Dish TV in the Kerala High Court underscores the growing friction between pay DTH operators and DD Free Dish, whose no-subscription model offering general entertainment, movies and news from major broadcasters like Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Sony Pictures Networks India, JioStar, and TV Today Network has steadily eroded the paying subscriber base.

The move follows repeated representations by private DTH operators and the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF), which have argued that DD Free Dish's free-to-air model has created a structural disadvantage for pay-TV platforms.