Under the new TRAI regulations, a cable or DTH customer is entitled to 100 FTA or Free to Air channels as part of the basic pack, with a network connection cost of Rs. 130+GST. The latest free channels are added on a regular basis, and anybody with a DTH subscription may view the list of FTA channels that are free to broadcast.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has the power to remove or introduce FTA channels.

In this blog, we’ll take a look at all the FTA channels TRAI has to offer in 2021. However, before we get into the list, let’s first get a brief understanding of what FTA channels mean and how they work.

What Are FTA channels?

Free-to-air (FTA) facilities are television (TV) as well as radio channels that are telecasted in a clear (non – encrypted) manner. Anyone with the necessary equipment can see or hear the content with no need for a premium membership. This is traditionally transmitted on terrestrial radio waves and received via an antenna.

FTA additionally applies to networks and broadcasters that provide media for which no membership is needed, even if it is transmitted to the viewer/listener through another carrier that requires a membership, such as a cable television, the Internet, as well as satellite.

In certain geographic regions, these carriers may also be necessary (or OPT) to offer FTA channels even though a premium membership is not present (given the equipment needed is still accessible). For example, FTA channels are extremely important as they are utilized for emergency broadcasts, equivalent to the 1-1-2 (112) emergency number offered by mobile phone companies and distributors in certain areas.

On the other hand, free-to-view (FTV) programming is typically available without the need for a membership, but it would be digitally encrypted and might even be geographically limited.

Free-to-air television is frequently utilized for worldwide broadcasting, making it a visual counterpart to shortwave radio. Most FTA merchants provide free-to-air channel listings and material accessible for free-to-air use throughout North America.

How FTA Channels Will Work

According to TRAI’s new guidelines, a cable or DTH customer is entitled to 100 FTA or Free to Air channels as part of the basic pack, which needs to be at or above Rs 130 (plus GST).

If the customer has only picked 60 FTA or Free to Air channels, they can add 40 more to complete the list. Nevertheless, if the user selects pay channels, an additional fee will be charged, as decided by the broadcaster as well as the cable operator.

According to TRAI, adding more channels will cost Rs 25 for every 20 channels that the customer chooses.

FTA Channels List In India

Approximately 600 FTA television stations and 180 radio channels are transmitted via Ku-band as well as c-band transmitters on the INSAT-4B and GSAT-15 satellites, which covers India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and portions of Afghanistan as well as Myanmar.

In India, the programs are offered as DD Direct Plus/DD Free Dish by Doordarshan, India’s public broadcaster, as well as other Indian commercial broadcasters. ABS Free Dish from the ABS2 satellite allows one to get free-to-air local TV channels using just a tiny DTH antenna as well as a free-to-air set-top box.

We have provided a collection of free air channels available in India that you may pick from based on your needs, which are categorised based on various service providers.

Tata Sky

One of the top DTH providers, Tata Sky offers 161 FTA channels that you can subscribe to, which we’ve listed below:

Telugu Regional

Music

Marathi Regional

Punjabi Regional

Spiritual

Bengali Regional

Gujarati Regional

Hindi News

Malayalam Regional

Hindi Regional

Tamil Regional

Kannada Regional

Hindi Movies

Odia Regional

Hindi Entertainment

Knowledge & Lifestyle

News

Entertainment

Others

Airtel DTH

The Airtel Digital TV FTA Pack has a validity period of 28 days. This pack includes up to 105 channels divided into 12 categories, which we’ve listed below along with the channel numbers.

India Regional

South Regional

Lifestyle & Education

Music

Hindi Movie

English News

News

DishTV

DishTV is one of the most popular DTH network providers and as per TRAI’s regulations, they provide multiple FTA channels as well.

Hindi Entertainment

Hindi Movie

Hindi Music

Hindi National News

Devotional

Sports & Infotainment

Regional

Sun Direct

While Sun Direct may not have a big customer base like Tata Sky and DishTV, however, they do offer a myriad of FTA channels, which we’ve mentioned below.

News

Bengali

Hindi

Devotional

Gujarati

Kannada

Malayalam

Marathi

Odia

Punjabi

Tamil

Telugu

Kashmir

HD

This is a comprehensive list of 230+ free to air channels, and you may watch all of them for free. But, it’s important to note that TRAI can modify the list whenever they choose to. So, before making a decision, it’s always wise to first check with your DTH or cable provider.

Conclusion

We hope that this information will assist you in selecting the appropriate channel based on your state and the TRAI’s list of all free to air channels.