Reliance and Disney merged in a $8.5 billion deal which will give Reliance the exclusive rights to stream all Disney movies and shows. Recently, Jio also acquired streaming rights of HBO, Max Originals, and Warner Bros solidifying Reliance's dominance in the Indian Media Business.
Reliance and Disney made headlines when they announced merging their TV and streaming businesses. It is a significant moment as this partnership will completely dominate the Indian market and will eliminate a lot of competition together. Reliance’s Viacom 18 is merging is Disney’s Star India division and the deal is said to be 8.5 billion dollars. The ownership structure is divided into three where Reliance will own 16.3% of the stake, Viacom will hold 46.8% and Disney will own 36.8%.
Nita Ambani is set to take charge of the venture alongside former Disney India Chair Uday Shankar who will serve as the vice chair and strategic advisor for the merged project. Reliance is going to make an investment of 1.4 billion dollars for the new merged business. The new entity is all set to reach the Indian audience and is estimated to hold 40% of the market share and be seen by over 750 million viewers all over the nation.
India is a country with a huge population and outstanding market opportunities. With many booming industries, many global investors and businesses are trying to get in. This deal between Reliance and Disney is going to be a game-changer in the OTT sector. The deal comes with exclusive rights to stream Disney movies and shows in India.
The integration of this business venture will be implemented in the late 2024 or early months of 2025. Last year, when Jio took the streaming rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL) from 2023 to 2027. This was a fatal blow to the Disney streaming platform in India as they lost millions of subscribers because Jio streamed the IPL for free. After Jio secured the streaming rights to HBO, Warner Bros, and Max Original, Reliance totally dominated Disney and created this golden opportunity.
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