MAM
Media firm UTV issues clarification on 15.8 per cent, Rs 460 million private placement
Media firm UTV has clarified reports about a foreign investor picking up a stake in it
These reports appeared in some dailies on 29 March 2002 and were in respect of a fresh round of equity that UTV is receiving from Mauritius-based CDP Capital. These stated that the latter’s application to invest 15 per cent at a cost of Rs 585 million in UTV Software Communications was given government clearance.
In a press release issued today UTV says the facts are as follows:
a) UTV, one of India’s largest media and content companies, is involved in TV production, Animation, Motion Picture production and distribution and Allied content activities like corporate ad film production and post-production studios. UTV has agreed to a private placement of fresh shares to CDPQ of Canada.
b) CDPQ headquartered in Montreal Canada, is one of the largest equity investors in the world, and the largest in Canada, where it controls the pension funds of all citizens of Quebec. CDPQ has holdings in media all over the world, and owns close to 12% of MGM Hollywood.
c) CDPQ has made a fresh equity investment in UTV of Rs 46 crore (Rs 460 million) and picked up a 15.8 per cent stake. It has also bought shares from other investors including Warburg Pincus, thereby having an equity holding of approx 30 per cent in UTV
d) Post this transaction, the promoter group lead by Ronnie Screwvala will continue to hold 40 per cent, CDPQ will hold 30 per cent , News Corp/Star will hold 15 per cent and the balance 15% is held by various Financial investors including Mitsui of Japan and IL&FS.
e) At a time when the overall equity market is sluggish, this is the one of the few placements, especially in the media industry.
f) For UTV this placement comes as a precursor to the possibility of an IPO next year.
MAM
Gurpreet Singh named President of DishTV Alumni Network
Former Dish TV executive to lead community building and collaboration.
MUMBAI: Back to the dish, but this time it’s about connections, not channels Gurpreet Singh is returning to familiar territory with a new mandate that swaps subscribers for relationships. Singh has been appointed President of the DishTV Alumni Network, a move aimed at strengthening ties among former employees and building a more engaged professional community around the Dish TV ecosystem. The initiative reflects a growing trend among large organisations to formalise alumni networks as platforms for collaboration, mentorship and business opportunities.
The appointment draws on Singh’s deep-rooted history with Dish TV, where he held multiple leadership roles over nearly a decade. As National Business Head between June 2019 and September 2020, he oversaw profit and loss as well as operations, managing revenues of Rs 6,000 crore and leading a team of around 1,250 employees across the country. His tenure included working alongside two regional business heads and 16 circle heads, underscoring the scale of operations he handled.
Prior to that, Singh served as Executive Vice President and National Head for Sales and Revenue from 2016 to 2019, and earlier as Senior Vice President and National Head for Sales and Revenue. He also briefly led international operations as Country Head for Sri Lanka, further expanding his exposure across markets.
His broader career spans leadership roles across telecom and consumer businesses, including a stint as Chief Operating Officer at Bharti Airtel’s Malawi operations, senior leadership roles at Reliance Communications, and earlier positions at Hindustan Sanitaryware and Kodak India, where he spent over a decade.
In his new role, Singh is expected to focus on reconnecting former employees, fostering collaboration, and building a structured alumni ecosystem that leverages shared experience and industry networks. As companies increasingly recognise the long-term value of their extended workforce, the DishTV Alumni Network appears set to turn nostalgia into a strategic asset, one connection at a time.
