Bharti Airtel and the Tata Group have decided to end talks on a proposed merger of their direct-to-home (DTH) businesses, the companies announced in a regulatory filing on Saturday. The discussions, which aimed to combine Airtel’s DTH arm Bharti Telemedia with Tata Group’s Tata Play, have been called off due to the parties’ inability to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
The update was shared with the Bombay Stock Exchange, referencing Airtel’s earlier announcement from February 26, 2025, which confirmed bilateral discussions between the two companies. However, despite initial interest, both sides agreed to discontinue negotiations after failing to find a satisfactory resolution.
A merger between Bharti Telemedia and Tata Play would have created a major player in India’s DTH market, echoing the sector’s earlier consolidation with the 2016 Dish TV and Videocon d2h merger. Airtel had been exploring strategic options for its DTH business in response to increasing competition and changing consumer preferences driven by digital streaming platforms.