Unexpected rise of DD Freedish reflects linear TV is alive and growing

To get around the problem the agency checks the channel list every quarter to figure out the free channels' clients, such as ITC or J&J, that need small-town reach, could be advertising on

The serial Bak Bak Baklol features YouTube comics Pankaj, Sweety, Guddu Bhaiya, Riddhu among others. The production quality and jokes seem cheesy, especially if you watch popular OTT shows. Yet it has, along with Bhains Ki Taang, Balveer and Daravni Kahaniyan made The Q one of the ten most watched Hindi general entertainment channels on TV in India. The list includes Shemaroo Umang, Shemaroo TV, Manoranjan Grand and Dangal. These are among the 70-odd private channels powering the growth of DD Freedish, which at an estimated 58 million homes is “the largest TV platform in India,” said Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo. It reaches