Star seeks early nod for DTH

Star Group on Friday petitioned the government for early clearance of its DTH venture, saying the service could be provided for as little as Rs 180 per month from November this year.

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Star Group CEO Michelle Guthrie, Star India CEO Peter Mukherjea and other company officials met Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shanker Prasad for expediting the project, which is a joint venture with Tatas, sources said in New Delhi.
 
At present, Star had paid the Rs 10 crore (Rs 100 million) entry fee but still has to furnish the Rs 40 crore (Rs 400 million) guarantee before it can get a letter of intent from the government to begin DTH.

They said the set-top boxes needed for DTH transmission would be priced under Rs 3,000 by the Star-Tata joint venture, which is also examining the option of offering financing schemes to consumers for purchasing these boxes.

"In any case, every new DTH connection by the JV is expected to cost less than Rs 5,000," sources said.

The JV is expected to offer 65 channels to begin with besides niche channels like lifestyle, cookery and gardening. Total investment by Star and the Tatas is expected to be between Rs 1,500-1,600 crore (Rs 15-16 billion) and the JV is eyeing one million viewership within the first year itself.

After Zee, Star would be the second private player to enter DTH services. Prasar Bharti's DTH services are expected to start within the next couple of months.