Govt notifies increased limits for teleports, DTHs

The government had earlier decided in favour of increasing the foreign investment limits in those areas of broadcasting which deal with carriage but had refrained from doing so in areas which were related to creation of content.

As per a government notification, 74 per cent foreign investment was now allowed for services like teleports, DTH, Multi System Operators (MSOs) operating at national, state or district level which were involved in digitisation and mobile TV and mobile TV.

Of these 49 per cent foreign investment was allowed through automatic route and up to 74 percent would be allowed through the government route.

The new rules state that in broadcasting content services 26 per cent FDI was allowed in Radio and Uplinking of News and Current Affairs TV channels through the government route. For up linking of non news and current affairs downlinking of TV channels, 100 percent FDI through the government route is applicable.

India is estimated to have about 106 million households with cable and satellite TVs in India, of which 26 million use DTH and 80 million get feed from the cable network.