India government approves Reliance’s Viacom18 channel licences to Star India

The Indian government has approved the transfer of licences for Reliance’s Viacom18 channels to Star India.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting cleared the transfer of non-news and current affairs TV channel licences from Reliance’s Viacom18 Media Private Limited to Disney’s Star India Private Limited. The decision, issued on Friday, 27th September 2024, is subject to conditions outlined by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

This follows nearly a month after the CCI approved the merger between Reliance and Disney’s entertainment businesses, valued at over ₹70,000 crore ($8.5 billion), on 28th August 2024.

The merger is expected to be completed by late 2024 or early 2025, with Nita Ambani set to become chairperson of the new entity, and former Walt Disney executive Uday Shankar taking on the role of vice chairperson.