Bharti Airtel and Tata Group call off merger talks over DTH businesses

Bharti Airtel and the Tata Group have mutually agreed to end discussions regarding a proposed merger of their direct-to-home (DTH) businesses, Bharti Airtel stated in a regulatory filing on Saturday.

The decision to terminate talks was disclosed in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange, with Airtel citing the inability of the two sides to reach a "satisfactory resolution."

"This is about our intimation dated February 26, 2025, wherein the company informed that it is in bilateral discussions with TATA Group to explore a potential combination of TATA Group's Direct To Home ('DTH') business housed under Tata Play Limited with Bharti Telemedia Limited, a subsidiary of the company," it said.

"In this regard, we wish to inform you that after not being able to find a satisfactory resolution, the parties have mutually decided to terminate the discussions," Airtel added.

The merger would have brought together Bharti Telemedia, a subsidiary of Airtel that operates its DTH services, and Tata Play, the Tata Group’s DTH unit. While the companies confirmed in February that negotiations were underway, they had not disclosed specific terms or a potential timeline for the deal.

"We wish to submit that Bharti Airtel and Tata Group are in bilateral discussions to explore a potential transaction to achieve a combination of Tata Group's DTH business housed under Tata Play Ltd, with Bharti Telemedia, a subsidiary of Airtel, in a structure acceptable to all parties," it had then stated.

Had the deal gone through, it would have marked a significant consolidation in the DTH sector, following the 2016 merger of Dish TV and Videocon d2h. Bharti Airtel had been exploring ways to restructure its DTH business amid intensifying competition and shifting consumer preferences toward digital streaming platforms.