NEW DELHI: Three years after his last visit to India, News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch on Thursday is learnt to have met up with the top political personalities of the country including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
In 2005, Murdoch engaged in parleys with top government representatives ahead of the launch of Star’s direct-to-home (DTH) project in a joint venture with the Tatas.
It is believed that this time, too, he is seeking a higher foreign direct investment (FDI) limit for the print media.
News Corp officials were not available for comment. Star India, a subsidiary of News Corp, is keen to enter the print media segment, but is inhibited because of the FDI ceiling of 26%.
News Corp owns Dow Jones & Co, which publishes The Wall Street Journal.
Murdoch, along with his top team at Star, may have met some key leaders of the Opposition parties as well.
Entry into print media is not the only space for which the media maven and Star have had to lobby with the government.
The group had to face regulatory hurdles for launching its DTH service some time back.
The same was the case for its news channel venture, which was finally launched in tie-up with Kolkata-based Ananda Bazar Patrika.
Star’s role in FM radio had also come under government scrutiny some years ago, after which the group withdrew from the radio space.
Besides meeting the PM and Sonia Gandhi, Murdoch is scheduled to interact with joint
venture partners Aveek Sarkar of the Anand Bazar Patrika and Ratan Tata.
The competition that Star is facing in India from existing as well as new players could be yet another reason for Murdoch to come visiting. But, Star officials called it a “routine visit”.
Murdoch arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday and would leave for Mumbai on Friday. His next stop would be Beijing, where he’s scheduled to attend a pre-Olympics summit.
