MUMBAI: Anil Ambani's Reliance Capital has progressively upped its stake in TV Today Network to 14.02 per cent, but is still outside the 15 per cent deadline to trigger an open offer for a fresh 20 per cent acquisition.

Memories of an open offer go back to June 2007 when Reliance Capital took the aggressive step without being forced into it by takeover regulation. Having taken its stake then to 11.93, Reliance fixed the open offer price at Rs 130.50 per share that did not evoke any interest from shareholders to sell their shares.

Reliance Capital's renewed interest in TV Today, which runs a clutch of news channels including the Hindi market leader Aaj Tak, reflected in the market on 7 December when it mopped up 0.11 per cent stake, or 67,000 shares, to take its total holding to 14.02 per cent, or 8.1 million shares.

A TV Today official declined to comment.

A spurt in buying by Reliance Capital has prompted a sharp rise in the scrip price of TV Today that was hovering around Rs 100 in November. The scrip touched a high of Rs 151.80 on 4 December. 

After 7 December, the shares of TV Today have started steadily falling from its high price. The scrip ended Wednesday at Rs 122 on the BSE, up 1.5 per cent from the previous day's close.

The promoter holding in TV Today is 55.92 per cent, according to data provided by the company till 30 September 2009.