NEW DELHI: Even as three television channels renewed their licences to remain on the country’s only free to air direct to home platform DD Freedish, the price went up to Rs 5.2 crore in the e-auction held yesterday.

Interestingly, the 30th Auction was held on 15 September, which also coincides with the day when Doordarshan first started beaming in the year 1959.

A DD source told indiantelevision.com that although the reserve price was Rs 4.3 crore, one of the three channels had bid Rs 5.2 crore.

The three channels are IBN 7, WoW Cinema, and Bholjpuri Cinema.

The slots were falling vacant as license period of three three TV channels on the platform was or had expired.

Freedish has not raised its reserve price. The reserve price had been Rs 3.7 crore till last year but was raised to its present level for the 25th e-auction in January.

The platform at present has space for eighty channels including its own channels and Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV along with 24 All India Radio channels.

These sources told indiantelevision.com that Freedish is being encrypted through Indian Conditional Addressable System (iCAS) to keep a tab on the number of subscribers, but it would remain free-to-air.

The e-Auction will be conducted by M/s. C1 India Pvt. Ltd., Noida which also conducted the first stage of the FM Radio Phase III auctions on behalf of Prasar Bharati.