Reliance Jio gets provisional nod for TV content distribution

RIL through Jio wants to offer a combination of telecom, high-speed data, digital commerce, media and payment services

RIL today said its subsidiary Reliance Jio Media has received provisional registration from the government to operate as multi service operator at pan-India level in digital cable TV space.

"Reliance Jio Media Private Limited, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, has been granted provisional registration by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for operating as Multi Service Operator (MSO) in Digital Addressable System (DAS) in PAN India," it said in a BSE filing.

An MSO is a cable operator who receives programming services from a broadcaster and transmits them for simultaneous reception either to multiple subscribers or through one or more local cable operators.

RIL is developing its Jio brand as an integrated business capable of offering a combination of telecom, high-speed data, digital commerce, media and payment services.

With this permit, Reliance Jio (RJIL) will compete Hathway, IMCL, Siti Cable Network and DEN Networks and can itself distribute its media content on cable television.

The company has acquired control of media house Network18, which has 17 news channels including CNBC TV18, IBN7 and CNBC Awaaz as well as 14 entertainment channels in 8 languages and set of internet businesses.

By 2017-18, RIL aims to make Reliance Jio integrated TV and mobile set of content in India. The company is planning to launch 4G services that can also be used to transmit video content on mobile devices and the experience will be almost similar to that of watching video on television sets.

Jio is now present in all of the 29 states, with a physical presence in nearly 18,000 cities and towns in the country. Its wireless footprint covers over one lakh villages.

The company is expected to 100% national coverage within the next three years.