GECs
Panamsat opens DTH platform in Australia
MUMBAI: Satellite operator Panamsat has announced that its subsidiary, Panamsat Asia has acquired some business assets from the receivers of Tarbs World TV Australia.
Tarbs is an Australian pay TV provider.
As per the agreement Panamsat will acquire Tarbs’ subscriber list, intellectual property and subscriber-installed equipment. Panamsat has announced that PanGlobal TV has opened for business as Australias new multi-ethnic DTH platform.
Panamsat VP Asia Pacific David Ball said, “The assets we have obtained will help facilitate the growth of the PanGlobal TV platform by assisting our channel partners to reach the ethnic TV audience in Australia. PanGlobal TV is up and running offering Arabic, Serbian and Russian channels and is capable of reaching all of the homes formerly served by Tarbs. Additional channels are planning to join the platform shortly.”
PanGlobal TV is hosted on the PAS-8 Pacific Ocean Region satellite. MySat, the Arabic Pay TV service, offers several networks through PanGlobal TV including Al Jazeera. Horizon World Plus TV is distributing a bouquet of four Russian television channels on the Panamsat platform.
PanGlobal TV is a joint marketing alliance between Panamsat and GlobeCast Australia, which offers a range of transmission services to international broadcasters who wish to reach Australias diverse multi-cultural communities. The service transmits digital television channel signals from either GlobeCast Australias Sydney teleport or the PanAmSat Napa Valley, California teleport to the PAS-8 Ku-band Australia beam. The teleports offer digital encoding, signal processing and transport services in addition to the uplink service to the satellite.
GECs
Sebi sends show-cause notice to Zee over fund diversion, company responds
Regulator questions 2018 letter of comfort and governance lapses; company vows robust legal response
MUMBAI: India’s markets watchdog has reignited its long-running scrutiny of Zee Entertainment Enterprises, issuing a sweeping show-cause notice that drags the broadcaster and 84 others into a widening governance storm.
The notice, dated February 12, has been served by the Securities and Exchange Board of India to Zee, chairman emeritus Subhash Chandra and managing director and chief executive Punit Goenka, among others. At its heart: allegations that company funds were indirectly routed to settle liabilities of entities linked to the Essel Group.
The regulator’s probe traces its roots to November 2019, when two independent directors resigned from Zee’s board, flagging concerns over the alleged appropriation of fixed deposits by Yes Bank. The deposits were reportedly adjusted against loans extended to Essel Group entities, triggering questions about related-party dealings and board oversight.
A key flashpoint is a letter of comfort dated September 4, 2018, issued by Subhash Chandra in his dual capacity as chairman of Zee and the Essel Group. The document, linked to credit facilities availed by certain group companies from Yes Bank, was allegedly known only to select members of management and not disclosed to the full board—an omission SEBI believes raises red flags over transparency and governance controls.
Zee has pushed back hard. In a statement, the company said it “strongly refutes” the allegations against it and its board members and will file a detailed response. It expressed confidence that SEBI would conduct a fair review and signalled readiness to pursue all legal remedies to protect shareholder interests.
The notice marks the latest twist in a saga that has shadowed the broadcaster since 2019. What began as boardroom unease has morphed into a full-blown regulatory confrontation. The final reckoning now rests with SEBI—but the reputational stakes for Zee, and the message for India Inc on governance discipline, could scarcely be higher.
