At the close of Friday, provisional winning bid prices ended at ₹1,079 crore in the e-auction of the first batch of private FM radio Phase III channels.
“At the close of the 15th day of bidding, 91 channels in 56 cities became provisional winning channels with cumulative provisional winning price of about ₹1,079 crore against their aggregate reserve price of about ₹449 crore. The total reserve price of the first batch of 135 channels is ₹550.18 crore,” the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in a statement. Till now, 60 rounds of bidding have been completed.
The Ministry said the first batch auction will pave the way for the onset of the FM Phase III regime. The Phase III licenses will be valid for 15 years instead of 10 years as was the case in Phase II.
Further, FDI/FII limits have been raised in the new regime to 26 per cent from 20 per cent. Also, radio operators are allowed to carry AIR news bulletins in mutually agreed terms with Prasar Bharati.