DTH firms under pressure as govt demands Rs 16,000 cr as licence fees

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has issued notices demanding Rs 16,000 crore from four private direct-to-home (DTH) companies for unpaid licence fees — a move that is likely to hurt the struggling sector, The Economic Times reported on Friday.

The notices demanded principal dues and accumulated interest from Bharti Telemedia (parent of Airtel Digital TV), Tata Play (formerly Tata Sky), Dish TV and Sun Direct.