<span style="color: #222222;">Prasar Bharati CEO, Shashi Shekhar Vempati has expressed happiness that the public broadcaster-run Direct to Home (DTH) platform DD Free Dish has crossed 40 million subscribers.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">According to FICCI-EY Media Entertainment Annual Report for 2021, DD Free Dish has an estimated base of more than 40 million households.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The growth has been attributed to less expensive television sets, economic issues, launch of the DD Retro Channel and return of big broadcasters to the Free Dish platform.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">DD Free Dish has also become a second set top box within the home, used when there are no large events on television in some cases.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Free Dish distributors have mentioned year on year growth in sales as well as the inability to keep up with demand due to a shortage of China-manufactured chipsets.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Television households will continue to grow at over 5 percent till 2025, driven by connected TVs which could cross 40 million by 2025 and DD Free Dish could cross 50 million.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">DD Free Dish, is a multi-channel Free-To-Air Direct to Home service of Prasar Bharati.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Primary objective of DD Free Dish is to provide an alternative and affordable platform for quality entertainment & information to people without any subscription fee.</span><br />''  <br />