India-based operator Bharti Airtel reportedly entered early stage talks to buy a majority share in broadcast player Dish TV India, with plans to acquire holdings from various parties to make up a controlling stake.

Financial website Mint reported the operator was already in discussions with several sizeable Dish TV India shareholders over selling their interests.

In a stock market filing responding to a query from the BSE India exchange related to media reports on the issue and subsequent share price movement, Dish TV India stated it was “not aware of the transaction which has been reported.”

BSE India sent a similar query to Bharti Airtel but had not received and published a response at the time of publication.

On its website Dish TV India claims to be the leading company of its type in the nation, operating three consumer-facing broadcast brands and multiple satellite platforms.

It also owns video streaming app Watcho, a platform providing short-form original content in several local languages.