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Thomson wins Indian TV mrkt deal
Thomson has won an agreement to deliver digital set-top boxes to support Tata Sky's new direct-to-home satellite television service in India.
Thomson has won an agreement to deliver digital set-top boxes to support Tata Sky's new direct-to-home satellite television service in India, the French electronics firm said on Friday.
Thomson, which provides services, systems and technology for content creators and distributors, has said it plans to increase sales by as much as 2 billion euros by the end of 2006 and aims to broaden its media and entertainment base, mainly in Asia.
Tata Sky, a joint venture between the TATA Group and News Corp's Star, is investing in building a high quality digital TV infrastructure for Indian households, looking to become the country's largest digital TV platform.
The service is expected to be launched by mid 2006 across India, Thomson said. India is the world's third largest cable television market with has annual revenues of $3.3 billion.
No value of the agreement, nor the number of possible set-top boxes to be delivered was announced in the statement and no one was immediately available to comment at Thomson.
The announcement comes as France's President Jacques Chirac is leading a visit to India with a host of chief executives hoping to boost trade between the two countries. Thomson meant to announce the deal on Sunday, when Chirac will arrive in India, but its statement was made public on Friday.
The company last year entered a partnership with Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd, India's leading telecom and internet service provider, to develop media and entertainment activities. VSNL is part of the TATA Group.
