Dish-Connected: Airtel and Tata Play Tune Out Merger Talks

Bharti Airtel and Tata Group have officially shelved discussions on merging their Direct-To-Home (DTH) businesses, Airtel Digital TV and Tata Play, as they were not able to reach a deal acceptable to both sides. The talks, ongoing since February 2025, were terminated by mutual consent with both sides stating that they could not close large gaps despite holding several rounds of talks.

 

The proposed merger, which would have been a share exchange and would have given Airtel a controlling 52-55% stake, was intended to combine two loss-making DTH companies when customers are making a swift transition to digital streaming platforms. The two companies were each valued at ₹6,000–7,000 crore, and a successful deal would have seen the combined subscriber base of over 35 million-more than half of India's DTH market.

 

With the deal off the table, Airtel and Tata Play will each be standalone players in an increasingly competitive and dynamic media environment.

 

Source: Economic Times