DD Free Dish channel list comprises of free to air channels in India. It has become a lifeline of sorts for those wanting to consume TV content for free in India. During the pandemic, the vast network of channels were not only keeping Indians informed and delivering general entertainment content, but also helping education reach those with no broadband connectivity.
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India has seen a huge revamp in the way television channels are broadcasted to end consumers. Earlier this year, TRAI introduced new rules that brought DTH channels to consumers at much cheaper rates than before. While channels now come with a fixed Network Capacity Fee (NCF) and à la carte channels, Doordarshan remains a different beast.
To the uninitiated, Doordarshan is a public service broadcaster owned by the Broadcasting Ministry of India. Alongside All India Radio, Doordarshan forms one of the two divisions of Prasar Bharti. Established on September 15th 1959, Doordarshan is one of India’s largest broadcasting organisations in studio and transmitter infrastructure.
DD Free Dish: what is it?
As mentioned earlier, DD Free Dish is India’s only free Direct-To-Home service. At the time of its launch in December 2004, it offered only 33 channels. At present, the service offers 104 SDTV channels along with 40 Radio channels. It is available in Ku-Band on GSAT-15 (at 93.5°E). The DTH signals can be received through a small sized dish receive system, also known as Set-top Box and Dish of size around 60 to 90cm in diameter.
DD Free Dish channel list
DD Free Dish is a free Direct–to-Home service that was previously know as DD Direct+Doordarshan operates a total of 21 channels and has 46 studios. It has two all-India channels in the form of DD National and DD News. It also operates 17 regional satellite channels, 11 state networks, an international channel called DD India, a sports channel called DD Sports, DD Bharati, DD Urudu and DD Kisan.
While it has an expansive network of regional channels, Doordarshan also has a free-to-air satellite television provider called DD Free Dish. Previously known as DD Direct Plus, it is estimated to serve approximately 50 million Indian households. In other words, DD Free Dish accounts for around 25 percent of total TV households in the country. It offers a national, parliamentary, regional and state network of TV channels.
DD National channel list
These channels are operated by Prasar Bharati and air content that is informational in nature. These channel show a large number of shows that showcase the culture of India. Apart from this, there are shows that are educational or related to agriculture including Krishi Darshan that is broadcast.
- DD National
- DD National HD
- DD Retro
- DD Kisan
- DD News
- DD India
- DD Sports
- DD Bharati
- DD Urdu
| Channel Name | Channel Number |
| DD News | 1 |
| DD National | 2 |
| DD National HD | 113 |
| DD Retro | 3 |
| DD Kisan | 4 |
| DD India | 5 |
| DD Sports | 79 |
| DD Bharati | 77 |
| DD Urdu | 114 |
DD Parliamentary channel list
If you want to follow the parliament proceeding, these channel bring the all the action live from both the houses. To watch proceeding in, you should tune in to Sansad TV.
- Sansad TV
- Sansad TV
| Channel Name | Channel Number |
| Sansad TV | 26 |
| Sansad TV | 27 |
Doordarshan Regional channel list
Apart from the regional flavour, they also present serials and movies in the respective regional language to entertain the audience.
- DD Assam
- DD Bangla
- DD Chandana
- DD Tripura
- DD Girnar
- DD Uttar Pradesh
- DD Kashir
- DD Chhattisgarh
- DD Malayalam
- DD Oriya
- DD Podhigai
- DD Punjabi
- DD Sahyadri
- DD Yadagiri
- DD Arun Prabha
- DD Saptagiri
- DD Bihar
- DD Madhya Pradesh
- DD Rajasthan
- DD Jharkhand
- DD Goa
- DD Haryana
- DD Himachal Pradesh
- DD Meghalaya
- DD Manipur
- DD Nagaland
- DD Mizoram
- DD Uttarakhand
| Channel Name | Channel Number |
| DD Assam | 90 |
| DD Bangla | 93 |
| DD Chandana | 86 |
| DD Tripura | 83 |
| DD Girnar | 8 |
| DD Uttar Pradesh | 76 |
| DD Kashir | 85 |
| DD Chhattisgarh | 84 |
| DD Malayalam | 89 |
| DD Oriya | 91 |
| DD Podhigai | 21 |
| DD Punjabi | 22 |
| DD Sahyadri | 23 |
| DD Yadagiri | 75 |
| DD Arun Prabha | 92 |
| DD Saptagiri | 88 |
| DD Bihar | 80 |
| DD Madhya Pradesh | 82 |
| DD Rajasthan | 78 |
| DD Jharkhand | 81 |
| DD Goa | 97 |
| DD Haryana | 98 |
| DD Himachal Pradesh | 99 |
| DD Meghalaya | 104 |
| DD Manipur | 105 |
| DD Nagaland | 106 |
| DD Mizoram | 107 |
| DD Uttarakhand | 87 |
Hindi General Entertainment channel list
The Hindi entertainment genre was earlier very popular when serials like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki were aired. With the rise of regional content and coming of OTT, it has lost some of its charm. However, it still continues to be popular with select groups.
Rishtey Cineplex
The Q
Azaad
Manoranjan Grand
Dangal
Big Magic
Shemaroo TV
Ishara TV
Sony Wah
| Channel Name | Channel Number |
| Rishtey Cineplex | 38 |
| The Q | 34 |
| Azaad | 50 |
| Manoranjan Grand | 19 |
| Dangal | 29 |
| Big Magic | 41 |
| Shemaroo TV | 28 |
| Ishara TV | 9 |
| Sony Wah | 58 |
Hindi Music channel list
These are channels that are dedicated to playing Hindi music round the clock. Some of them focus on old classical Bollywood movies, while the approach of others is to play trendy music. The trendy music could be from private labels or pupular Hindi movies.
- MTV Beats
- B4U Music
- 9XM
- Mastiii
- Showbox
| Channel Name | Channel Number |
| MTV Beats | 61 |
| Mastii | 62 |
| B4U Music | 63 |
| 9XM | 57 |
| Showbox | 7 |
Hindi-language Movies channel list
- Star Utsav Movies
- Zee Anmol Cinema
- ABZY Movies
- BFlix Movies
- Colors Cineplex Bollywood
- Rishtey Cineplex
- Movie Plus
- B4U Kadak
- ABZY Cool
- B4U Movies
- Dhinchaak
- Enterr- 10 Movies
- Manoranjan TV
- Goldmines Movies
- Dhinchaak 2
- Goldmines Hindi
- ABZY MOVIES
| Channel Name | Channel Number |
| Star Utsav Movies | 55 |
| Zee Anmol Cinema | 48 |
| ABZY Movies | 10 |
| BFlix Movies | 110 |
| Colors Cineplex Bollywood | 35 |
| Rishtey Cineplex | 38 |
| Movie Plus | 39 |
| B4U Kadak | 42 |
| ABZY Cool | 32 |
| B4U Movies | 12 |
| Dhinchaak | 15 |
| Enterr- 10 Movies | 51 |
| Manoranjan TV | 43 |
| Goldmines Movies | 52 |
| Dhinchaak 2 | 33 |
| Goldmines Hindi | 36 |
| ABZY MOVIES | 10 |
Hindi-language News channel list
- India TV
- Times Now Navbharat
- Zee News
- Republic Bharat
- Aaj Tak
- ABP News
- Swadesh News
- NDTV India
- TV9 Bharatvarsh
- Zee Hindustan
- Samay
- India News
- India News UP/UK
- News State UP/UK
- Sudarshan News
- News 18 UP/UK
- News 18 India
- News 24 Think First
- News Nation
- News India 24X7
- Good News Today/ GNT
- Raftaar Media
| Channel Name | Channel Number |
| India TV | 64 |
| Times Now Navbharat | 66 |
| Zee News | 70 |
| Republic Bharat | 67 |
| Aaj Tak | 68 |
| ABP News | 69 |
| Swadesh News | 115 |
| NDTV India | 49 |
| TV9 Bharatvarsh | 44 |
| Zee Hindustan | 59 |
| Samay | 100 |
| India News | 60 |
| India News UP/UK | 101 |
| News State UP/UK | 108 |
| Sudarshan News | 102 |
| News 18 UP/UK | 103 |
| News 18 India | 56 |
| News 24 Think First | 73 |
| News Nation | 65 |
| News India 24X7 | 109 |
| Good News Today/ GNT | 13 |
| Raftaar Media | 116 |
Devotional channel list
- Aastha TV
- Vedic
- Sanskar TV
- Astha Bhajan
| Channel Name | Channel Number |
| Aastha TV | 45 |
| Vedic | 11 |
| Sanskar TV | 54 |
| Astha Bhajan | 95 |
Bhojpuri channel list
- Bhojpuri Cinema
- B4U Bhojpuri (Movies)
- Big Ganga (General Entertainment)
- Zee Biskope (Movies)
- Filamchi Bhojpuri
- Goldmines Bhojpuri
- Manoranjan Prime
| Channel Name | Channel Number |
| Bhojpuri Cinema | 30 |
| B4U Bhojpuri (Movies) | 14 |
| Big Ganga (General Entertainment) | 16 |
| Zee Biskope (Movies) | 31 |
| Filamchi Bhojpuri | 46 |
| Goldmines Bhojpuri | 17 |
| Manoranjan Prime | 18 |
Marathi channel list
- Sun Marathi
- Shemaroo Marathibana
- Fakt Marathi
- Zee Chitramandir
| Channel Name | Channel Number |
| Sun Marathi | 6 |
| Shemaroo Marathibana | 20 |
| Fakt Marathi | 24 |
| Zee Chitramandir | 71 |
Punjabi channel list
- Zee Punjabi (General Entertainment)
- Manoranjan Movies
- Chardikala Time TV
- Popcorn Movies
| Channel Name | Channel Number |
| Zee Punjabi (General Entertainment) | 72 |
| Manoranjan Movies | 40 |
| Chardikala Time TV | 96 |
| Popcorn Movies | 53 |
DD Free Dish Home Channel
- Home Channel
| Channel Name | Channel Number |
| Home Channel | 94 |
Educational Channel List
Swayam Prabha
| Channel Name | Channel Number |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 1 |
117 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 2 |
118 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 3 |
119 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 4 |
120 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 5 |
121 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 6 |
122 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 7 |
123 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 8 |
124 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 9 |
125 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 10 | 126 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 11 | 127 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 12 | 128 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 13 | 129 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 14 | 130 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 15 | 131 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 16 | 132 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 17 | 133 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 18 | 134 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 19 | 135 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 20 | 136 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 21 | 137 |
| DD SWAYAM Prabha 22 | 138 |
PM e-Vidya
| Channel Name | Channel Number |
| DD eVidya 1 |
139 |
| DD eVidya 2 |
140 |
| DD eVidya 3 |
141 |
| DD eVidya 4 |
142 |
| DD eVidya 5 |
143 |
| DD eVidya 6 |
144 |
| DD eVidya 7 |
145 |
| DD eVidya 8 |
146 |
| DD eVidya 9 |
147 |
| DD eVidya 10 |
148 |
| DD eVidya 11 |
149 |
| DD eVidya 12 |
150 |
Vande Gujarat Channel
| Channel Name | Channel Number |
| DD Vande Gujarat 1 |
151 |
| DD Vande Gujarat 2 |
152 |
| DD Vande Gujarat 3 |
153 |
| DD Vande Gujarat 4 |
154 |
| DD Vande Gujarat 5 |
155 |
| DD Vande Gujarat 6 |
156 |
| DD Vande Gujarat 7 |
157 |
| DD Vande Gujarat 8 |
158 |
| DD Vande Gujarat 9 |
159 |
| DD Vande Gujarat 10 | 160 |
| DD Vande Gujarat 11 | 161 |
| DD Vande Gujarat 12 | 162 |
| DD Vande Gujarat 13 | 163 |
| DD Vande Gujarat 14 | 164 |
| DD Vande Gujarat 15 | 165 |
| DD Vande Gujarat 16 | 166 |
Educational TV Channel for Digital Payments
| Channel Name | Channel Number |
| DD DigiShala | 167 |
DD Free Dish: MPEG-4 streaming
DD Free Dish has been expanding from time to time. It has expanded to present capacity with the introduction of MPEG-4, DVB-S2 stream. It also has plans to add HD channels in the bouquet of DD Free Dish soon. Prasar Bharati also plans to expand the 80 MPEG-2 streams to MPEG-4 in phased manner.
It is different from other DTH operators because they provide paid service. The DTH operators charge customers because they need to uplink the encrypted TV signals to the satellite and the signals are received by subscribers through a receiving system. DD Free Dish works similarly but in this case, customers have to make only a one-time investment to purchase the dish receive system including the set-top box and dish antenna with LNB.
Doordarshan and its enormous presence
Doordarshan provides television, radio, online and mobile service throughout the metropolitan and regional India. It also provides service overseas through the Indian Network and IRadio India. From an experimental broadcaster, Doordarshan has come a long way. While rules have evolved, new players have come along, Doordarshan is still watched by a large section of the country.
If you are wondering for the reason then it is the simple fact that Doordarshan, also called DD, continues to offer free-to-air channels. Whether it is Krishi Darshan or news bulletin in your local language, Doordarshan has you covered with a wide array of channels spanning multiple Indian languages.
While it started in 1959, Doordarshan extended television service to Mumbai (then Bombay) and Amritsar only in 1972. Only seven Indian cities had television service until 1975, states a Wikipedia entry. Doordarshan for a long time remained the country’s sole television provider, giving it an enormous advantage.
How to tune your old free to air set-top box
DD Free Dish transport streams and their respective frequencies, symbol rate and polarization
1. Satellite Name
Step 1: Go to the Installation menu or visit the setup menu using the remote control of your DD Free Dish set tip box
Step 2: Select Satellite Edit menu.
Step 3: Select Add New Satellite menu.
Step 4: Select Sat Name Edit menu.
Step 5: Enter Satellite Name as GSAT-15.
Step 6: Enter Satellite Longitude as 93.5°E
Step 7: Press Exit.
2. LNB Configuration
Step 1: Go to LNB configuration and ensure that the satellite is selected as GSAT-15.
Step 2: Set LNB Types as Universal.
Step 3: Set LNB Power On.
Step 4: Press Exit.
3. Transport streams of Transponder (TP) Edit
Step 1: Go to Transponder (TP) Edit menu and once again ensure that the satellite selected is GSAT-15.
Step 2: Select Add New TP menu.
Step 3: Select TP frequency as 11,090MHz.
Step 4: Select Symbol rate as 29,500Ksps.
Step 5: Select Polarization as Vertical.
Step 6: Set 22K as OFF
Step 7: Set Disc. Equal to OFF
Step 8: Select Scan as FTA.
Step 9: Press OK
Once you have entered these values in your old set-top box, now go to Search and press Ok. This will add the new 16 TV and 6 Radio services and you can add other four Transport streams by entering respective frequencies, symbol rate and polarization.
DD Free Dish FAQs
Is Star Sports available on DD Free Dish?
Unfortunately, DD Free Dish doesn’t have any Star Network channels. This means DD Free Dish doesn’t have the Star Sports channels available for its users.
Is DD Dish free of cost?
Yes, DD Free Dish is free of cost in the sense that there’s no monthly payment involved. However, in order to get access to DD Free Dish, user need to invest in one-time DD Dish system kit. This include DD Free Dish DTH antenna, DD Free Dish STB, DD Free Dish coaxial cable, and DD Free Dish RG6 connectors. The initial cost for a good and branded kits is somewhere in the range of Rs 2,500.
How can I buy DD Free Dish?
You can buy DD Free Dish kit from any electronics shop in the nearest market. There are two types of STB available for DD Free Dish in market – one that’s approved by Prasar Bharti and the second is any free-to-air set-top box.
How can I watch paid channels on DD free dish?
You can’t watch paid channels on DD Free Dish because it doesn’t have the range of frequencies to connect to their satellite.