DTH
Broadcasters can now bid for new Pak DTH licence auction
MUMBAI: The Lahore High Court has requested PEMRA, Pakistan’s broadcast regulatory body, to start the bidding process for direct-to-home (DTH) licences again, after it declared the recent auction void that must be reheld. PEMRA is considering challenging the order in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, local newspapers reported.
With the new order, broadcasters such as ARY and GEO will now be able to bid to operate DTH satellite TV services in the country.
Three direct-to-home (DTH) licences in Pakistan were on 23 November awarded for a total of PKR 14.694 billion (USD 140 million). The highest bid was raised by Mag Entertainment for PKR 4.91 billion, respectively followed by M/s. Shahzad Sky for PKR 4.90 billion and M/s. Star Time for Rs 4.89 billion. PEMRA had issued non-exclusive licences for 15 years to the three companies.
PEMRA chairman Absar Alam had said the DTH service would not end the cable operators’ business, but would compel them to invest in technology and distribution systems.
The auction barred broadcasters from bidding owing to what was believed to be a conflict of interest. The court however said the restriction was based on an assumption that any vertical integration between broadcast media and distribution services would result in undue concentration of ownership.
Pakistani DTH services would have countered the sale of illegal Indian DTH services in Pakistan, which leads to annual transfer of between US$ 200 million to US$ 350 million to India on account of subscription fee.
Also Read: Pak DTH: Mag, Shahzad & Star Time to start ops in a year
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Pak DTH licence bidding stayed
DTH Operator
JC Flowers withdraws NCLT plea against Dish TV over EGM demand
Move eases pressure on DTH firm as long-running shareholder dispute cools
MUMBAI: In a breather for Dish TV India, JC Flowers Asset Reconstruction has withdrawn its petition before the National Company Law Tribunal seeking directions to convene an extraordinary general meeting.
The development was disclosed by Dish TV in a regulatory filing, confirming that the petitioner chose to withdraw the case during a hearing at the Mumbai bench of the tribunal. A detailed order from the bench is still awaited.
The petition, originally filed under Sections 98 to 100 of the Companies Act, 2013, sought to push for an extraordinary general meeting to address governance issues at the company. The case had its roots in a prolonged shareholder tussle dating back to 2021, when Yes Bank, then the largest shareholder, was at odds with the promoter group led by Subhash Chandra over board reconstitution.
JC Flowers had stepped into the picture as an assignee of Yes Bank’s stressed assets, effectively continuing the legal push initiated earlier. The withdrawal now signals a pause, if not a closure, to that chapter of dispute.
While the reasons behind the withdrawal have not been formally detailed, the move reduces immediate legal pressure on Dish TV, which has been navigating both operational and regulatory challenges in recent years.
For now, the focus shifts back to the company’s business fundamentals, even as the legal dust settles, at least temporarily, on one of its more closely watched shareholder battles.
