Airtel Confirms Merger Talks with Tata Group for DTH Business

Bharti Airtel has confirmed that it is in discussions with Tata Group to explore a potential merger of Tata Play’s direct-to-home (DTH) business with its subsidiary Bharti Telemedia Ltd.

In an exchange filing on February 26, Airtel stated that the talks are still at the discussion stage, following reports that Tata Play and Airtel Digital TV were moving towards a merger.

According to The Economic Times, the deal is likely to be structured as a merger swap, with Airtel holding over 50% stake in the combined entity. The potential merger would help Airtel expand its non-mobile revenue stream while also giving it access to Tata Play’s 20 million customers.

The move is expected to lead to service bundling, where broadband, telecom, and DTH plans could be offered under a single subscription. If finalized, this would mark one of the biggest deals in the DTH space since the 2016 merger of Videocon d2h and Dish TV.