[icernet] Doordarshan plans to seek DTH licence

[Arul Selvan]

State-owned Doordarshan is in the process of fine-tuning a Rs 500 crore 
(Rs 5 billion) direct-to-home television satellite project and has got 
the Prasar Bharati board's approval for this. "The Prasar Bharati board 
has decided that Doordarshan should be a player in the DTH market and 
the Planning Commission has approved the project," Minister of 
Information and Broadcasting, Ravi Shankar Prasad, said. Rupert 
Murdoch's Star TV and Agrani, controlled by Subhash Chandra, have 
already applied for DTH licences, making Doordarshan the third player in 
this field.

DTH is a capital-intensive venture. A DTH platform with 100-odd channels 
requires an investment of about $500 million. According to the DTH 
guidelines, the total foreign investment, including foreign direct 
investment, investment by non-resident Indians and foreign corporates, 
and by foreign institutional investors should not exceed 49 per cent. 
Also, a broadcasting or cable company cannot hold more than 20 per cent 
in a DTH venture. A prospective DTH company will have to pay an entry 
fee of Rs 10 crore (Rs 100 million) at the time of applying for a 
licence, plus a bank guarantee of Rs 40 crore (Rs 400 million) for the 
10-year period of holding the licence.

Source:
http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/apr/15dd.htm

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