MUMBAI: Bharat Business Channel, the Videocon Group‘s direct-to-home (DTH) television service provider under the brand Videocon d2h, plans to spend Rs 4.88 billion of the Rs 7 billion it intends to raise from an initial public offering to purchase set-top-boxes (STBs) and associated equipment.

Videocon d2h will purchase two million STBs, outdoor units and accessories from Trend Electronics Ltd (TEL), a Videocon Group company, during the financial year 2014.

Videocon d2h will buy from TEL 1.6 million standard definition STBs at Rs 1,400 per piece, 0.4 million high definition STBs at Rs 1,700 per piece and two million outdoor units and accessories at Rs 627 per unit.

Videocon d2h expects 7-8 per cent of new DTH subscribers to purchase HD subscription packages. Approximately 30 television channels are available in HD apart from sports and movie channels.

Videocon d2h brand owner Bharat Business Channel has 6.62 million gross subscribers (including inactive subscribers) as of 30 September 2012. The company started operations in July 2009.

The company has filed a draft prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for its IPO and would be listing its shares on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Videocon d2h will use Rs 695.85 million of the IPO proceeds to repay or prepay part of its debt from banks and the remaining for general corporate purposes.

As of October 31, 2012, Bharat Business Channel had outstanding secured indebtedness of Rs 16.62 billion from banks and indebtedness of another Rs 2.25 billion from Videocon Industries.

The company plans to raise Rs 500 million through sale of equity before the IPO. If the pre-IPO placement is completed, the public issue size will be reduced to the extent of such placement, subject to the public issue size constituting at least 25 per cent of the post-Issue paid-up equity share capital of the company.

All of Bharat Business Channel‘s secured loans are either guaranteed or supported through undertakings by Videocon Industries.

The company incurred losses for the six months ended September 30, 2012 and the financial years 2012, 2011 and 2010 of Rs 2.70 billion, Rs 4.82 billion, Rs 5.28 billion and Rs 1.31 billion, respectively. For the financial years 2011 and 2010, it had negative cash flows from operating activities of Rs 1.18 billion and Rs 504.26 million, respectively.

As of September 30, 2012, the company had a negative net worth of Rs 5.89 billion.

The company said its auditors have noted that despite the erosion of our net worth and the fact that our accumulated losses exceeded the paid-up share capital, the financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis.