The momentum among private players to enter the DTH broadcast arena appears to be building, if reports circulating in the industry are to be believed.
After Star India (through the Mumbai based Space TV) and Subhash Chandra's ASC Enterprises Ltd (Agrani), the latest to put in an application for a DTH licence is Sony Entertainment Television, strong rumours in the industry indicate.
When contacted, SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta said he had no comment to offer on this turn of events. Reports of Sony's application come close on the heels of the one put in by Agrani on 24 June.
Agrani's was the second application for a DTH licence after the News Corp-backed Space TV put in its own proposal in April. However, the government rejected the application because Space TV put in a number of riders, one of which was that the 20 per cent FDI cap should be lifted.