Reliance-Disney merger completed: joint venture to bring Hotstar, JioCinema on a single platform | Tech Tips

Reliance has announced the completion of its merger with Disney to form a joint venture for its existing entertainment platforms and Hotstar. This merger had been rumoured for quite some time and a new website called ‘JioStar’ was also spotted online, but there’s been no confirmation if the new OTT platform would indeed be called that. The joint venture will bring content from JioCinema, Viacom18, and Disney+ Hotstar together on a single channel. 

Reliance-Disney merger announced

• The joint venture is a merger between Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), Viacom18 Media Private Limited, and The Walt Disney Company, 
• RIL has invested Rs 11,500 crore into the joint venture. It’s controlled by RIL with 16.34 percent ownership, 46.82 percent by Viacom18, and 36.84 percent by Disney. 
• Reliance says that the joint venture is “home to the most iconic and engaging media brands in India across TV and digital platforms.”
• The new OTT platform will offer content from Star and Colors on the television side, and JioCinema and Hotstar for digital content. Together, there are over 100 TV channels and 30,000+ hours of TV content annually. 

Reliance has yet to announce the launch date of its joint venture and what it’s going to be called. It currently operates JioCinema as its OTT platform where it integrated Viacom18’s Voot as well. There have been reports about a new ‘JioStar’ platform launching soon, possibly the new venture from Reliance for JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar. 

The JioStar website has been updated with new information including the announcement of the merger. There’s a Channel List tab on the website, which opens up a list of subscription packs for various Indian languages in Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD). There’s no price listed for the Star English pack but the Hindi pack starts at Rs 88/month. 

The website also has links to the merger announcement and the leadership behind the new joint venture. It’s not confirmed though if this is indeed the official platform or could simply be the corporate website. 

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