It has been rumored that Disney+ Hotstar and reliance industries Limited (RIL) are considering a big merger including their streaming services, JioCinema and Disney+. JioCinema, under the ownership of RIL's Viacom18, has over 100 million downloads, whereas Disney+ Hotstar, owned by Walt Disney's Star india, has over 500 million downloads.

Disney+ Hotstar has more downloads than the other platform, but RIL is thinking about merging the two to build a more powerful streaming service. According to RIL's annual report, Disney+ Hotstar had 333 million active users in the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to JioCinema's average monthly user base of 225 million.
 
On the other hand, Disney+ Hotstar's paid subscriber base has declined, from 61 million at its peak in june to 35.5 million. Following the loss of popular material like the HBO series and the indian Premier League (IPL), there was a drop. RIL and Walt Disney agreed to buy Star india and Viacom18 for $8.5 billion earlier in the year. The combined company would become a media behemoth with over 100 stations and two streaming services. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and the Competition Commission of india (CCI) are now seeking clearance of the merger.
 
This merger would simplify operations, reduce expenses, and provide a one-stop shop for over-the-top content that could rival YouTube in the ad-supported market and Netflix and Prime Video in the subscription market. With a combined library of over 125,000 hours of Hollywood, sports, and entertainment content—including cricket matches like the IPL—JioCinema would be a formidable force. Disney and RIL have not responded to requests for comment, but according to sources, JioCinema may have a significant competitive edge in the highly competitive streaming industry as a result of the deal.
 
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S Venkateshwari

25/08/2024 10:51 AM