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Liberty actively exploring India entry options
MUMBAI: If everything falls in place, India could well be the next operational port of call in Asia after Japan for the John Malone-controlled Liberty Media.
Says Shane O’Neill, SVP, chief strategy officer and board member, Liberty Global, “Over the last six years, we haven’t looked too closely at this market. But now I want to get a more informed view.” When queried over the credible buzz that had surfaced at one time that Liberty might buy in to the Hinduja Group’s InCableNet, but that the deal fell through over valuations, O’Neill dismissed it as market speculation.
Asked as to what Liberty’s entry route into the Indian market would be, O’Neill said those calls had still to be taken but it was “highly unlikely we would enter without (an Indian) partner”.
“Currently India is the best opportunity in Asia, even more than China. We have the appetite to invest in these markets and are not worried about the complexities that exist,” O’Neill avers.
There are four key issues that Liberty has identified as being critical to its India rollout plans:
1. Figure out a partnership strategy;
2. Garner a complete understanding of the regulatory environment in the country.
3. Understand the government’s attitude to foreign investment in the sector;
4. Come up to speed on the ground situation.
O’Neill also raised the point about a the need for a level playing field as regards investment opportunities. The same set of rules should apply to telcos / cable and satellite companies, he said.
As regards the cable scenario, his view is that FDI and channel pricing are the two issues that really need to be looked into. On pricing, O’Neill opines that government intervention should only be as regards the basic service; for everything else it should be left to the market.
Asked about the impact of CAS, he said that the rollout of addressability would certainly incentivise the likes of Liberty to enter India.
O’Neill did stress however, that Liberty was not going to rush into anything but would not be conservative in its thinking either. According to him, the media major’s mantra was “Informed aggression, not instinctual aggression.”
Subhash Chandra has stated that WWIL (erstwhile SitiCable) will be pumping in $ 200 million over the next two years as part of an aggressive growth strategy that is underpinned by the switchover to digital delivery. Could Liberty facilitate that effort? Time should tell.
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Business Today MindRush returns to Mumbai, spotlight on India’s edge in a fractured world
Policymakers and corporate heavyweights gather to map supply chains, energy security and markets
MUMBAI: As fault lines widen across global trade and geopolitics, Business Today is doubling down on India’s moment. The 14th edition of Business Today MindRush & Best CEOs Awards lands in Mumbai on March 28, pitching India’s strategic edge at the centre of a fragmenting world.
The day-long summit, presented by PwC, will bring together a tight mix of policymakers, industry leaders and market voices to decode shifting supply chains, maritime strategy, defence priorities, energy security and capital markets—sectors now deeply entangled with geopolitics.
M Nagaraju, secretary, department of financial services, ministry of finance, will headline the event, setting the tone for discussions that aim to track how India is repositioning itself amid disrupted trade routes and volatile energy dynamics.
The speaker slate reads like a cross-section of India Inc’s command centre. Krishna Swaminathan will zero in on sea lanes and supply chains, while Prashant Ruia is set to push the case for self-reliance in oil and gas. Ashish Chauhan will weigh in on capital markets at a pivotal juncture, as a panel featuring Vibha Padalkar, Sanjiv Mehta, Amish Mehta and Sanjeev Krishan debates navigating economic uncertainty.
Leadership under pressure will be another running theme. Madhavkrishna Singhania, Sharvil Patel, Karan Bhagat and Anurag Choudhary will unpack how businesses are steering through disruption. Arun Alagappan will turn the spotlight on fertilisers, Arundhati Bhattacharya will reflect on leadership transitions, while Anish Shah and S Vellayan will outline blueprints for building future-ready conglomerates.
The event will close with Aroon Purie setting the broader editorial lens, before the Best CEOs Awards recognise standout corporate leadership across sectors.
At a time when the global order looks increasingly splintered, MindRush 2026 is positioning itself as more than a conference—it is a signal that India intends not just to navigate the churn, but to shape it.
