The reshuffle exercise will see Disney+ Hotstar absorbing JioCinema, positioning the former as the primary streaming platform for the combined entity. With the Star-Viacom18 merger in its final stages, RIL aims to stream the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Disney+ Hotstar.
Initially, RIL explored various strategies for the proposed merged entity’s streaming business. At one point, the company considered integrating Disney+ Hotstar into JioCinema, or operating two separate platforms—one for sports and another for entertainment.
“Reliance’s leadership ultimately chose Disney+ Hotstar for its superior tech infrastructure,” said a person familiar with the discussions.
Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema employees were informed of the decision earlier this week. RIL declined to comment on the development.Both platforms have a robust content library, boasting over 200,000 hours of content, including premium broadcast content from Star and Viacom18’s channels. They also lead in live sports streaming, offering the IPL, ICC, BCCI, and Premier League, alongside Hollywood content from Disney, HBO, NBC Universal, and Paramount Global.In August, ET first reported that RIL was inclined to consolidate JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar into a single OTT platform, although the conglomerate initially favoured JioCinema, which gained significant traction after streaming the FIFA World Cup 2022 for free.
In February, RIL and Walt Disney signed an $8.5 billion deal to merge Star and Viacom18, creating a media powerhouse with over 100 channels and two streaming platforms. The merger has received approval from the Competition Commission of India, the National Company Law Tribunal, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Star India will be the operating company of the merged entity, with Viacom18 transferring all its TV and streaming assets to Star. RIL will control Star with a 56% stake while Walt Disney will hold 37%, and Uday Shankar and James Murdoch’s Bodhi Tree Systems will have 7%. Nita Ambani will serve as chairperson, while Shankar will take on the role of vice-chair.
According to RIL’s annual report, JioCinema reached an average of 225 million monthly users, while Disney+ Hotstar had 333 million monthly active users in Q4 2023. Disney+ Hotstar had 35.5 million paid subscribers as of June, while JioCinema, as of September, became the fastest-growing subscription-based OTT platform with over 16 million paid subscribers.
Previously, Viacom18 consolidated its various OTT platforms under the Voot brand into JioCinema, merging Voot, Voot Select, and Voot Kids into a single platform.
