Walt Disney explores sale of India streaming business to Reliance Industries : Reports

Walt Disney Co. has entered into preliminary discussions with potential buyers for its India streaming and television business, including Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries, as reported by THE HINDU. The talks have explored various options, ranging from selling the entire Disney Star business to a partial transaction involving assets such as sports rights and the regional streaming service Disney+ Hotstar.

The move comes after Disney's Indian unit lost its streaming rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament to Viacom18 Media, a partnership between Paramount Global and Reliance. Disney had previously approached Reliance about a potential stake in the business.

These discussions are ongoing and may not necessarily result in a deal. Disney may also decide to retain the assets for a longer period. A spokesperson for Disney declined to provide comments on the matter, while Reliance stated that it evaluates various opportunities regularly and will make necessary disclosures as required.

Despite experiencing declining subscriber numbers after losing IPL streaming rights, Disney Star still holds television rights for cricket through 2027. Additionally, Disney+ Hotstar has retained digital rights for International Cricket Council men's matches. Reliance-backed JioCinema, a streaming service, saw a record 32 million concurrent viewers during the IPL final in May, and it has recently started charging for some content on the platform after securing a multi-year deal to stream Warner Bros Discovery Inc.'s exclusive content in India.