STAR, Asianet in talks

STAR India is reportedly in discussions in an attempt to acquire a majority stake in southern satellite television broadcaster, Asianet Communications. According to sources, negotiations are underway between STAR India and the Rajeev Chandrashekhar-led Jupiter Entertainment, but both the parties have declined to comment as of now.  However, Campaign India understands that Star’s chief executive Paul Aiello was in Bangalore on Monday. The Star India team for the negotiations is spearheaded by Ajay Vidyasagar, president, content and new media, Star India.
Asianet currently operates in two languages, Malayalam and Kannada. The broadcaster is also expected to foray into Telugu sometime this year.  STAR’s presence in South India is limited to Tamil channel, Star Vijay.  Last year, Star had set up its joint venture with Balaji Telefilms to launch regional general entertainment channels in Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam languages.