STAR India, DEN form alliance to distribute channels in India

Mumbai, Jan 15 (UNI) STAR India and DEN Digital Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd (DEN) today announced a joint venture to distribute television channels in India via all fixed networks including cable, DTH, IPTV, HITS and MMDS.

The 50:50 joint venture will be headquartered in Mumbai.

Under the agreement, the joint venture will be an exclusive distributor for STAR India for all channels distributed domestically by it. It will also seek to expand its bouquet offerings by including other third party channels for distribution.

Speaking to reporters here, Star India chief executive officer Uday Shankar said ''It is an important growth initiative in the distribution platform business and enables us to better harness the growth opportunity. We are pleased to tie up with a group of professionals who we find are strategically aligned to our vision of this business and its growth prospects.'' Sameer Manchanda, Promoter and Chairman of DEN, said ''DEN is excited to join forces with India's richest content provider in building an independently-run and robust channel distribution platform. We feel this joint venture presents a compelling opportunity to all content providers. It combines professional management, domain knowledge and compelling content to provide world class products and services to the Indian consumers.'' UNI LS SSS SM1951