Disney, Reliance Looking To Close Star India, Viacom18’s Hindi, Regional Channels To Secure Approval From CCI For Merger: Report

Both the companies have proposed to shut down Star India and Viacom18’s Hindi and regional channels in order to gain approval from the regulator, media reports said

The report noted that the combined entity of Star and Viacom18 will together control more than 40 per cent share in the Hindi, GEC, Marathi, Kannada, and Bangla markets.

Source : PTI

Walt Disney and Reliance Industries (RIL) are reportedly looking into closing down certain channels to secure the nod from the Competition Commission of India for their proposed merger. Both the companies have proposed to shut down Star India and Viacom18’s Hindi and regional channels in order to gain approval from the regulator, media reports said.

Citing sources in the know, The Economic Times reported that both the firms might be planning to bring the shutter down on flanking or secondary Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) to keep the flagship GECs, namely Star Plus and Colors, in the new entity that will be formed after the merger.

Further, the companies also intend to shut down operations in channels in Kannada, Bangla, and Marathi language markets. The report noted that the combined entity of Star and Viacom18 will together control more than 40 per cent share in the Hindi, GEC, Marathi, Kannada, and Bangla markets. This will make the company dominate the sports broadcasting segment, with a control over all the key cricket and non-cricket rights.

The CCI considers any firm with a share of more than 40 per cent in the market as dominant in the segment. The report cited one of the sources in the know and said, “Except the flagship channels, other Hindi GECs might be closed down. In the regional markets, the channels that are struggling will be shut down. Star has much more powerful regional channels than Viacom18, which is strong only in the Kannada market.”

Notably, both the companies are hopeful of completing the merger by October. They have been assigned time till February 2026 to finish the merger process. The competition regulator has also been in touch with other media and entertainment firms to understand how the merger will impact the industry.