RIL may have just JioCinema as OTT platform post merger
Reliance Industries (RIL), which will control the Star-Viacom18 merged entity after regulatory clearances, is leaning toward having only one OTT platform, JioCinema, after the merger, said people aware of the matter.
Following the merger, RIL is considering a plan to combine Disney+ Hotstar with JioCinema, despite the former having higher downloads, said one of the persons.
Disney+ Hotstar is Walt Disney-owned Star India's streaming service, while JioCinema is owned by RIL-controlled Viacom 18.
According to Google Play Store data, Disney+ Hotstar had over 500 million downloads while JioCinema had over 100 million downloads.
In February, RIL and Walt Disney signed agreements to combine Star and Viacom18 to create an $8.5-billion media giant that would have had over 100 channels and two streaming platforms.
As reported by ET earlier, the company is also willing to shut channels across Hindi and regional markets to alleviate concerns of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) about the market dominance of the proposed Star-Viacom18 merged entity. The companies are awaiting CCI and National Company Law Tribunal's (NCLT) approvals.
According to RIL's annual report, JioCinema had an average monthly reach of 225 million users. In the fourth quarter of 2023, Disney+ Hotstar had 333 million monthly active users, as per Sensor Tower.
Disney+ Hotstar had 35.5 million paid subscribers in June, which is significantly lower than the 61 million that the platform used to enjoy at its peak when it also had content such as
