The Hindu Business Line : Zee to launch DTH on Oct 2

THE Subhash Chandra promoted ASC Enterprises may well be the first company to commence direct-to-home (DTH) operations in India with the Government giving its final approval on Friday.

The company has set October 2 as the day of launch that also coincides with the anniversary of Zee TV.

According to Mr Jawahar Goel, Vice-Chairman, Zee Telefilms, "We have already provided a bank guarantee of Rs 40 crore besides an entry fee of Rs 10 crore. We will be signing the licence agreement with the Government in the next few days."

The company has planned investments to the tune of Rs 400 crore for both its head-end in the sky (HITS) and DTH operations. During the initial phase, DTH services will be promoted in the non-metros that are still not well connected by the cable network.

Through the DTH platform consumers will get about 48 channels initially and this is expected to go up to over 100 in a year.

The company has already started inviting dealers for the DTH and it is in the process of selecting a brand name under which the DTH service is to be marketed.

Besides ASC Enterprises, Star TV-backed Space TV and Essel-Shyam (a joint venture between Subhash Chandra promoted Essel Group and Shyam Telecom) have evinced interest in the DTH business. This business requires high capital and enables the consumer to receive channels bypassing the cable operator.

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