RIL-Disney: Reasons behind the merger, the opportunity at hand and the key players who could make it all happen

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

RIL’s Viacom18 and Walt Disney’s Star India is set to redefine media, entertainment and sports in India. With over 750 million viewers, 200,000-plus hours of content and all the key cricket properties under its belt, the new entity could very well change the rules of the game even globally. Javed Farooqui & Vinod Mahanta take a look at the reasons behind the merger, the opportunity at hand and the key players who could make it all happen.

Nita Ambani, Chairperson, Viacom18-Disney: Nita Ambani’s foray into the world of entertainment biz
In a video played at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding bash in Jamnagar last week, Reliance head honcho Mukesh Ambani, portraying Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic character in the 1978 hit Don, delivers a popular dialogue in a filmi way—“Hamari zindagi mein asli don ek hi thi, ek hi hain aur ek hi rahegi” — and walks away from the throne. Nita Ambani coolly takes over the throne, dons the black shades and effortlessly embodies the look of a boss. Well, the boss is now going to take over a new throne — at Star India-Viacom merged entity. Months after relinquishing her position on the board of Reliance Industries (RIL), Nita Ambani has taken on her first business role as the chairperson of the proposed Star IndiaViacom18 merged entity.

This transition not only marks her direct plunge into a sector close to the heart of her husband, but also underscores the Ambani dynasty’s continued focus on the media domain, exemplified by an investment of `22,000 crore in Viacom18 and the