The Indian market for Disney seems to be declining. They are planning to sell the streaming and television business to one of the buyers, among which, as we all can guess, Ambani is one of them. Walt Disney and its selling news is what this article talks about. This article talks about the whole situation and everything that we know until now.
What do we know about this selling thing?
So, as we know, Walt Disney is going to sell the Indian streaming business along with the television business as well. According to some of the people who are familiar with this matter, we have come to know that Reliance industries owner Mukesh Ambani is one of the potential buyers. Walt Disney has already held some meetings in which he discussed this with the potential buyers. It is rumored that Mukesh Ambani has talked with Walk Disney regarding this buying thing.
What problems are being faced by Disney?
Walt Disney is planning to sell the whole business of Indian market. The US-based entertainment company has decided to sell it. And they are currently trying to decide the suitors to sign off the deal. They are going to sell fo their assets which will probably also include their regional streaming service Disney+ Hotstar along with their sports rights. It is seen that Disney already lost its streaming rights to Viacom 18 of the Indian Premier League Cricket.
It is also rumored that Disney even approached Reliance with a proposal of buy a stake in the business. The whole deal of selling might just end up with nothing. However, it is quite evident that Disney is trying to sell the business. The other side of the news says that they can sell the business but hold onto their assets for longer.
What is Reliance doing as a competitor?
Reliance, however, is trying their best to grab on to the offers they receive. They are trying to make the best out of the situation. They are trying to explore various opportunities which they think is best for the company. They have not yet officially disclosed any information. Against questions, they have been informed that they will disclose information only when it is necessary and have declined to answer anything further .
Reliance is trying to form its own base in the cricket business. They last year set a record of 32 million concurrent viewers in the IPL finals. The streaming service of Reliance is JioCinema, which showed a huge improvement during the May month during the IPL. The whole thing was free on the platform however we are seeing some change in it. They are changing the free things and charging for some content. The change is seen only after signing a contract with Warner Bros.
Did Disney really loose everything?
The loss of Indian Premier League Cricket’s streaming rights as mentioned earlier is not with Disney anymore. This whole action has led to a huge loss in the subscriptions of the company. The subscriber of the streaming of Disney is hugely based o cricket fans. They have not yet given up the cricket business yet, even after losing the IPL rights. They have secured a TV rights through 2027. Last year it was seen that they agreed to license the TV rights of International Cricket Council men’s matches to ZEE entertainment for four years. The digital rights of the International Cricket Council men’s matches digital rights remain with Disney+ Hotstar.
The whole idea of Reliance buying the Indian streaming business of Disney is not yet confirmed. The whole idea seems to be very unstable and very unsure. They seem to yet in the process of deciding everything. The whole story is based on rumors and we will only get to know after it all gets announced officially.