Disney-Reliance Merger: Post-Quake Route Forward for Indian Media Becomes a Fight for Value and New Allies
variety.com$10 billion Sony-ZEE merger plans and late February’s confirmation that Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries (which incorporates Viacom18 and streamer JioCinema) is to tie up most of Disney’s streaming and pay-TV businesses in an $8.5 billion deal, Indian media is set to gain a new market leader.
For local and international operators in the world’s most populous nation, the consequences of those tectonic shifts extend across streaming, pay-TV, channels, advertising, sports and content.
The merged Reliance Industries and Disney India (Disney+ Hotstar and Star TV) giant will be able to capture: 35% of total TV viewership; 40% of the total revenue market for broadcasters, including ad sales and affiliate fees; and 45% of the premium VOD streaming market, including SVOD and premium AVOD, but excluding YouTube and Meta, according to calculations by Singapore-based consultancy Media Partners Asia.
With the merger deal expected to close within 12 months, the Reliance-Disney group will also likely sign a long-term supply deal for Walt Disney content and be able to generate considerable internal cost savings.
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