Three DTH licences auctioned for Rs14.7 bn

Process continues for 15 hours

ISLAMABAD: The first-ever auction of three licences for Direct-to-Home (DTH) licences in Pakistan concluded on Thursday morning with collective price of three licences at around Rs14.7 billion. 

Eleven parties took part in the bidding, which continued for a marathon 15 hours. The auction process began on Wednesday and concluded after 15 hours of bidding on Thursday. The highest bid was offered by Mag Entertainment, which was Rs4.91 billion, followed by M/s Shahzad Sky for Rs4.9 billion and M/s Star Time for Rs4.89 billion respectively.

According to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), the bidders will be issued three licences after receiving clearance from the Interior Ministry and security institutions.

They will be required to submit 15 percent of the licence fee as the first installment, 35 percent as the second installment and rest of the fee in the third installment. Licences are for a period of 15 years.

In a statement, Pemra Chairman Absar Alam earlier said the bidding process was made transparent in every way and added that DTH services, once launched, would create more employment opportunities in the country.

“Pakistan’s media industry will progress and the national economy will flourish,” he said. The base price for bidding was set at Rs200 million. All participating companies took part enthusiastically. However, towards the end, four-five parties were left locked in a grueling bidding exercise.