Tata Group, Bharti Airtel Call Off Plans to Merge DTH Businesses

Bharti Airtel and Tata Group have officially ended their discussions about merging their DTH (Direct-to-Home) businesses. Airtel confirmed that both parties couldn’t reach a mutual agreement, so they decided to call off the talks.

Background of the Proposed Deal

The merger talks began in February 2025 when Airtel said it was exploring the idea of combining its DTH unit, Bharti Telemedia, with Tata Group’s DTH service, Tata Play. This move is aimed at strengthening operations and creating a more robust DTH offering.

Reason Behind the Termination

According to the statement filed by Airtel, both sides failed to find a satisfactory way to structure the deal. Despite multiple discussions, they could not come to a resolution acceptable to all stakeholders, leading to the mutual decision to end the talks.

Details of the Planned Merger

Had the deal gone through, it would have been the second big merger in India’s DTH space after Dish TV and Videocon d2h in 2016. The merger would likely have involved a share swap, with Airtel getting around 52-55% of the combined company and Tata Play’s shareholders, including Walt Disney, holding the rest.

Valuation and Market Context

The two companies had roughly equal valuations, estimated between ₹6,000 to 7,000 crore each. Tata Sons, which owns 70% of Tata Play, had recently acquired an extra 10% stake from Temasek Holdings in April 2024 for ₹835 crore, valuing Tata Play at around $1 billion. The potential merger was significant given the growing shift of consumers to digital streaming platforms.

Read More: Bharti Airtel Share Price in Focus as SingTel Offload Shares Worth ₹8,485 crore

Share Price Performance 

As of May 05, 2025, at 11:10 AM, Bharti Airtel share price is trading at ₹1,866.900 per share, reflecting a surge of 0.81% from the previous closing price. The stock’s 52-week high stands at ₹1,904.30 per share, while its low is ₹1,219.05 per share.

Conclusion

The Airtel-Tata DTH merger has been called off due to unresolved issues. Both companies will now continue to run their DTH services separately amid the growing shift to digital platforms.

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