MSO EXPANDS MUMBAI COVERAGE
The Rajan Raheja group, which had earlier
taken over MSO BiTV Cable Networks, has struck a deal with
an independent cable TV network in Mumbai. No official announcement
has been made but sources indicate that the 50:50 alliance
with Shri Bhawani Cabletel - a publicly listed company -
gives it access to another 50,000 households in the city.
(Shri Bhawani Cabletel has a strong presence in the northern
boroughs of Mumbai.) With this the Rajan Raheja group now
reaches out to more than 300,000 homes in the city. The
arrangement is supposed to have cost it close to Rs 30 million.
Major MSOs - like the Hinduja-run InCablenet
and Siticable -- have been wooing Shri Bhawani Cabletel
for the past couple of years. No one expected the latter
to sell out, but in recent times, the cable network has
been eroded and it has lost subscribers to InCableNet and
Siticable which have been aggressively tying up sub-operators
as franchisees. The Puri family, which is a major shareholder
in the firm, found it difficult to keep Shri Bhawani Cabletel
going with revenues falling. The 50:50 arrangement with
the Rajan Raheja group now gives it access to in 135 million
homes worldwide. Of these, 60 million get BBC World on a
24-hour basis, with the rest receiving it sometime during
the day. The channel has reported a 20% growth in homes
receiving it on a 24-hour basis in the past year.
