India's Tata Play, Airtel Digital TV near merger, ET reports

Dish TV India

25/02/2025 03:45

Feb 25 (Reuters) - India's Tata Group and Bharti Group
are finalizing a merger of their satellite TV businesses Tata
Play  TATK.BO  and Airtel Digital TV amid mounting losses due to
sustained migration to digital streaming, Economic Times
reported on Tuesday.
    The merger will happen through a share swap, the report
said, citing sources.
    Bharti Airtel  BRTI.NS  will likely hold between 52-55% in
the merged entity, while Tata Play shareholders, including Walt
Disney Co  DIS.N , will hold 45-48%, the report added.
    Airtel Digital TV is currently 100% owned by Bharti Airtel
through a subsidiary and Tata Play is a 70:30 joint venture
between Tata Sons and Walt Disney Co.
    The merger comes as part of a broader trend of consolidation
in India's satellite TV sector, driven by the rise of video
streaming platforms and a shrinking pay-TV subscriber base.
    The deal could also mark the second major transaction in the
sector in about a decade, following the Dish TV
 DSTV.NS -Videocon d2h merger in 2016.

 (Reporting by Aleef Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sumana
Nandy)
 ((aleefjahan.cs@thomsonreuters.com))