MUMBAI: India’s leading multi system operator (MSO) Siti Cable today announced to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) that it had received an injection of Rs 102.75 crore from its promoters. This is the second tranche after the Rs 81 crore its promoters had pumped in March 2013.
The announcement to the BSE states that “as per the terms of the 16.2 crore warrants issued on 19 March 2013 on preferential basis the allotment committee of the board of directors has upon receipt of the balance of 75 per cent consideration aggregating to Rs 102.75 crore approved allotment of 6.85 crore equity shares upon conversion of equal number of warrants at an issue price of Rs 20 per share to the allottees - Essel Media Ventures and Essel International.”
Sources within Siti Cable point out that the promoters led by Zee and Essel group chairman Subhash Chandra is extremely bullish on the MSO’s prospects post completion of cable TV digitisation nationally.
The company’s CFO Sanjay Goyal confirms to indiantelevision.com that “the company had received clearances in March 2013 to bring in Rs 324 crore from the promoters in four tranches. As part of that Rs 81 crore flowed in that month itself. Though the promoter group had until September 2014 to bring in the rest, they plan on infusing the remainder of the money before 31 March 2014 to speed up the digitisation push.”
The company’s CEO VD Wadhwa had in an interview to indiantelevision.com in January 2014 said that “Phases III and IV of digitisation has a total universe of about 90 million. Of these, we are targeting 6 to 7 million homes. At a gross level, we will require an investment of Rs 1200 crore. On a net basis, we are expecting an investment to the tune of Rs 600 crore. The funding of Phase III will be largely done through warrants’ funding of Rs 243 crore, which is likely to be invested by promoters before March 2014. Balance funding requirement will be met through internal accruals and raising of further equity, as may be required.”
In September 2012, when the company had announced that it was raising Rs 324 crore via warrants to promoter firms, it was reported that after completion of the entire exercise, he total promoter shareholding will rise to 73.08 per cent from 63.43 per cent and that of the public will drop to 26.92 per cent from 36.57 per cent.
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