FreeDish subscribers to get 250 channels for free by next yr

The government will increase the number of free channels in Doordarshan's direct-to-home (DTH) platform -- FreeDish -- from nearly 90 to 250 by next year, Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said today.
The Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting said the government will also introduce some new channels, including one for children.
"We are increasing the number of channels from present 89 to 250 by 2018 in the 'FreeDish'. We are also introducing some new channels like 'DD Kids'," Rathore said while addressing the closing ceremony of the two-day seminar on 'Digital Broadcasting in India - Way Forward' here.

FreeDish subscribers do not have to pay a monthly or a periodic fee for watching the channels but they need to purchase the set-top-box.
The service was launched in December, 2004 with 33 channels.
At present, the platform has 89 free-to-air channels and 32 radio channels.