Reliance, Disney Finalise Joint Venture Deal For Entertainment Brand

Reliance Industries (RIL), Viacom 18 Media (Viacom18) and The Walt Disney Company (Disney) on Thursday notified that following the approval by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Mumbai, Competition Commission of India and other regulatory authorities, the merger of the media and JioCinema businesses of Viacom18 into Star India (SIPL) has become effective. In addition, Reliance Industries has invested Rs 11,500 crore (USD 1.4 billion) into the joint venture for its growth.

The joint venture has allotted shares to Viacom18 and Reliance as consideration for the assets and cash, respectively. The transaction values the JV at Rs 70,352 crore (USD 8.5 billion). At the closing of the transactions, the JV is controlled by RIL and owned 16.34 per cent by Reliance Industries, 46.82 per cent by Viacom18 and 36.84 per cent by Disney.

Nita Ambani will be the Chairperson of the JV, with Uday Shankar as Vice Chairperson providing strategic guidance to the JV, the statement added. The combination of 'Star' and 'Colors' on the television side and 'JioCinema' and 'Hotstar' on the digital front will provide an extensive choice of content across entertainment and sports to viewers in India and globally.

"The formation of the JV will herald a new era in India's entertainment industry for consumers. This unique joint venture of Reliance and Disney brings together the companies' content creation and curation prowess, world-class digital streaming capabilities along with a digital-first approach that will help the JV deliver unparalleled content choices at affordable prices to Indian viewers and the Indian diaspora globally," the statement said.

The JV will be one of the largest Media and Entertainment companies in India with pro forma combined revenue of approximately Rs 26,000 crore (USD 3.1 billion) for the fiscal year ended in March 2024. The JV operates over 100 TV channels and produces over 30,000 hours of TV entertainment content annually. The JioCinema and Hotstar digital platforms have an aggregate subscription base of over 50 million. The JV holds a portfolio of sports rights across cricket, football and other sports.

The Competition Commission of India ("CCI") approved the transaction on 27 August 2024, subject to compliance with certain voluntary modifications offered by the parties. Apart from the CCI, the transaction has been approved by anti-trust authorities in the EU, China, Turkey, South Korea and Ukraine.

Speaking about the JV, Mukesh D Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, said, “With the formation of this JV, the Indian media and entertainment industry is entering a transformational era. Our deep creative expertise and relationship with Disney, along with our unmatched understanding of the Indian consumer will ensure unparalleled content choices at affordable prices for Indian viewers. I am very excited about the JV's future and wish it all the success.”

"This is an exciting moment for our two companies, as well as for India's consumers, as we create one of the top entertainment entities in the country through this joint venture. By joining forces with Reliance, we can expand our presence in this important media market and deliver viewers an even more robust portfolio of entertainment, sports content, and digital services," said Robert A. Iger, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company.

Uday Shankar, Co-founder of Bodhi Tree Systems, said, “As media consumption continues to move to an integrated TV-digital ecosystem, the merger of Viacom18 and Star India offers a unique opportunity to reorient the industry to better serve diverse cohorts of consumers across the country. Together, we aim to build India's largest integrated media platform which will deliver unparalleled experiences in innovative and exciting ways.”

The JV will be spearheaded by three Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) who will lead the company into a new era of ambition and disruption. Kevin Vaz will head the entertainment organisation across platforms. Kiran Mani will take charge of the combined digital organisation. Sanjog Gupta will lead the combined sports organisation.

In a separate transaction, Reliance Industries has bought out Paramount Global's entire stake of 13.01 per cent in Viacom18 for Rs 4,286 crore. As a result, Viacom18 is owned 70.49 per cent by Reliance, 13.54 per cent by Network18 Media and Investments Ltd. and 15.97 per cent by Bodhi Tree Systems, on a fully diluted basis.