The Reliance–Viacom18–Disney media merger became effective on 14 November 2024, creating a Reliance-controlled joint venture that brought together Star, Colors, JioCinema and Hotstar. Nita M. Ambani was named chairperson and Uday Shankar vice chairperson at formation. JioStar later launched JioHotstar on 14 February 2025; its launch announcement put paid plans at ₹149 per quarter, not ₹15. That was a historical launch price, not confirmation of today’s rates.
What the Reliance–Disney merger created
On 14 November 2024, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), Viacom18 Media Private Limited and The Walt Disney Company announced that the transaction had become effective after approvals. Under the completed arrangement, Viacom18’s media and JioCinema businesses merged into Star India Private Limited to form the joint venture, which the parties said Reliance controlled. Read the parties’ completion announcement.
The combination joined television networks and digital services: Star and Colors on TV, and JioCinema and Hotstar online. The businesses spanned entertainment and sports, combining content, channels and streaming platforms under a single corporate venture. The merger did not mean that every service immediately became one consumer app; JioStar announced the combined JioHotstar service three months later.
Ownership and announced leadership
The completion announcement reported the following closing ownership split and said Reliance controlled the joint venture:
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| Shareholder | Ownership at closing |
|---|---|
| Reliance Industries Limited | 16.34% |
| Viacom18 | 46.82% |
| The Walt Disney Company | 36.84% |
The parties also reported that Reliance invested ₹11,500 crore for the venture’s growth. They put its post-money transaction value at ₹70,352 crore, excluding synergies. Both figures describe the transaction as announced at closing; they are not a current valuation or an estimate of present-day value.
At formation, Nita M. Ambani was announced as chairperson and Uday Shankar as vice chairperson. Those appointments were first announced with the proposed transaction in February 2024 and confirmed in the November completion release. The available leadership information does not establish whether either person still holds the role today. See Disney’s February 2024 proposed-deal announcement.
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Scale described at the time of the deal
In its 14 November 2024 completion announcement, the parties said the venture brought together more than 100 television channels, produced over 30,000 hours of television entertainment annually, and had an aggregate subscription base above 50 million for JioCinema and Hotstar. These are figures attributed to the companies at completion, not current operating metrics.
Disney’s February 2024 announcement of the proposed deal separately estimated that the joint venture would reach over 750 million viewers across India and have access to more than 30,000 Disney content assets. Those were company descriptions and estimates for the proposed combination; they are different measures from the November figures and should not be treated as directly comparable.
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JioHotstar followed the merger in February 2025
On 14 February 2025, JioStar announced JioHotstar, bringing JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar together as a streaming platform for entertainment and sports. JioStar said viewers could watch shows, movies and live sports without a subscription, while paid plans were for an uninterrupted and enhanced experience. Read JioStar’s launch announcement.
The release stated that paid subscription plans started at ₹149 per quarter. This is the price JioStar announced at the platform’s February 2025 launch; it does not establish current pricing. The ₹15 amount in the supplied headline is not corroborated by the official merger and launch announcements cited here, and its origin or context is unknown. Check JioHotstar’s current plan information before relying on any price.
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JioStar also announced AI-driven recommendations, streaming in more than 19 languages, ultra-HD 4K streaming, real-time statistics overlays and multi-angle sports viewing. These are capabilities described by the company at launch, not independently tested performance claims.
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