MSM's Rs 5.45 bn FDI proposal to buy out Indian promoters gets government nod

MUMBAI: For the seven Indian promoters who had joined hands with Sony Pictures to set up Sony Entertainment Television India (now Multi Screen Media) in 1995, it is party time. The government has approved Multi Screen Media?s (MSM) Rs 5.45 billion foreign direct investment (FDI) proposal to buy out the stake of its Indian promoters.

The payment was to be made in stages, with $145 million coming at the closing of the acquisition by December-end 2012. The balance $126 million would be paid in three equal annual installments starting from the fiscal year ending 31 March 2014.

Sony Pictures Television (SPT), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment and also the parent company of MSM, had last year bought out the stake of the Indian shareholders in MSM for an agreed amount of $271 million.

Sudesh Mani Iyer, Sushil Shergil, Rakesh Agarwal, Jayesh Parikh, Raman Maroo, BR Sule and film actor Jackie Shroff are the seven Indian promoters who held almost 32 per cent stake in MSM through Grandway Global Holdings and Atlas Equifin.

The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) gave its approval to MSM?s proposal.

Sony?s stake in MSM is a little over 94 per cent with the balance being with private equity firm Capital International.