Bharti Airtel is in talks with the Tata Group to merge Tata Plays direct-to-home business with Airtels Bharti Telemedia. The merger aims to enhance Airtels non-mobile revenues through convergence, with Airtel expected to hold a majority stake.

India's Tata Group and Bharti Group are close to merging their satellite TV businesses, creating a nearly $1.6 billion entity with the aim of tiding over the sustained migration of subscribers to digital streaming,

Telecom giant Bharti Airtel Ltd. announced on Wednesday that it is engaged in bilateral discussions with the Tata Group regarding a potential merger of Tata Play’s Direct-To-Home (DTH) business with its subsidiary,

Airtel will access Tata Play’s 19 million households, supporting its plan to combine telecom, broadband, and DTH offerings. In April 2024, Tata Sons raised its Tata Play stake to 70%, buying Temasek’s 10% share for Rs. 835 crore ($100 million), setting the company’s value at $1 billion—down from $3 billion pre-pandemic.

It is estimated that the combined entity will serve approximately 35 million paid subscribers, drawn from Tata Play’s 19 million and Airtel Digital TV’s roughly 16 million, as of September 2024

The merger is expected to be done through a share swap, allowing Airtel to increase its non-mobile revenue by offering a combination of telecom, broadband, and DTH services.

Tata and Bharti groups are finalizing a merger of their DTH businesses, Tata Play and Airtel Digital TV, due to consumer shifts to digital platforms. The merger, structured through a share swap, will boost Airtel's revenues and is to be managed by Airtel's senior management.

The merger will see Airtel holding a majority stake of 52-55% in the combined entity, while Tata Play shareholders, including Walt Disney, will own 45-48%.

India’s satellite TV industry is on the brink of a major transformation, as Tata Group and Bharti Group are reportedly close to merging their DTH (Direct-to-Home) services, Tata Play and Airtel Digital TV.

The Tata Play, Airtel Digital TV merger is likely to take place via a share swap, the ET report says. Tata Play and Airtel Digital TV are heading towards a merger, an Economic Times report said on Tuesday.

Tata Group and Bharti Group are close to merging their satellite TV businesses, creating a nearly $1.6 billion entity with the aim of tiding over the sustained migration of subscribers to digital streaming,