 "Disney+ Hotstar to be shut, JioCinema to remain after RIL-Star India merger: Report")
Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL), which will control the Star-Viacom18 merged entity after the regulatory checks are complete, could shutter Disney+ Hotstar and keep only JioCinema as the OTT app.
Following the merger, RIL, as per an Economic Times report, is considering combining the offerings of Disney+ Hotstar with JioCinema, and host them on the latter. If true, it would happen despite Disney+ Hotstar having higher number of downloads.
Disney+ Hotstar is Walt Disney-owned Star India’s streaming service, while JioCinema is owned by Viacom 18.
As per Google Play Store data, Disney+ Hotstar has had over 500 million downloads while JioCinema has over 100 million downloads.
The report cites a source as saying that having a single OTT platform will help in reducing costs and building a one-stop destination to compete with YouTube in the advertising video on demand (AVOD) segment and Netflix and Prime Video in the subscription VOD segment.
When they come together, the combined catalogue of Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema, with its repository of entertainment, sports, and Hollywood content, will comprise over 125,000 hours. It will also have cricket rights, including the Indian Premier League (IPL), as well as content from Disney, HBO, NBCUniversal and Paramount Global.
In February, RIL and Walt Disney signed an agreement to combine Star and Viacom18 to create an $8.5 billion media giant which would include over 100 channels.
The companies are awaiting Competition Commission of India (CCI) and National Company Law Tribunals (NCLT) approvals.
In RIL’s annual report, JioCinema was revealed to have 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, said the report.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsDisney+ Hotstar had 35.5 million paid subscribers in June, a sharp drop from its 61 million subscribers at one point when it had content such as the IPL and HBO.
Earlier, Viacom18 had merged its OTT platforms under Voot with JioCinema. Voot offered Voot, Voot Select and Voot Kids.
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