India will invite bids commencing on Friday for more than 300 new FM radio stations, sparking a rush of global broadcasters to enter the country's liberalised radio sector, officials confirmed today. The information and broadcasting ministry will launch the process in a new stage in the opening of the sector started in the late 1990s.
"There will be financial bids for 337 FM radio stations in 91 cities from January 6," a ministry official said, asking not to be named. Global broadcasters have landed in the Indian capital New Delhi to submit bids before the closing date in February. "Our top officials are in New Delhi for the next
few days in connection with the bids," said a Bombay executive with Asia's Star TV. Some foreign broadcasters have already formed joint ventures to bid for the licences spread across the whole country of more than 1.1 billion people.
BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, and India's Mid Day Multimedia have formed a joint venture to operate locally under the name of Radio Mid-Day West and run its existing FM channel, Go 92.5.
"This is a very exciting and pivotal time to enter the Indian FM radio market," said Mark Young, Managing Director of BBC Worldwide in a statement. "With liberalisation of this sector offering unprecedented opportunities in FM radio, and Mid Day Multimedia's wealth of experience and expertise, our new partnership is well on course to establish a leading national radio business across India," Young said.
Mid Day hopes to benefit from BBC's global experience. "With access to one of the world's most respected media organisations, we expect to establish a network of radio stations where producers can use the BBC's radio expertise to develop and inspire their programming on a local level," said Mid Day Multimedia managing director Tariq Ansari.
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