Murdoch's Star pulls brand from India TV news JV

Star Group, a unit of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, has ended its brand association with its television news channel joint venture partner, the company said, blaming the split on regulatory headaches.

Updated on: Apr 17, 2012, 09:54:19 IST

Reuters | By HT Correspondent

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Star Group, a unit of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, has ended its brand association with its television news channel joint venture partner, the company said, blaming the split on regulatory headaches.

"Given the current regulatory environment and structural issues ailing the cable and satellite television market and the news genre in particular, Star took this extremely difficult decision to withdraw its brand from the genre," Star India said in a statement.

Star's branding will cease to be broadcast on the three news channels run by the joint venture within four months.

The company's 26% stake in Media Content & Communications Services India is the maximum permissible under regulations. The joint venture was formed in 2003 with local partner the Ananda Bazaar Patrika Group.

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