Disney+ Hotstar to reportedly absorb JioCinema after merger

With the merger between Star India and Viacom 18 signed in February, there have been rumours regarding JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar being integrated into one streaming service. Earlier, with content shifting to JioCinema, it was expected to be retained as the primary streaming platform.

However, according to the latest reports, Disney+ Hotstar will become the combined entity’s key streaming platform.

Disney+ Hotstar to be retained

For those unaware, this merger has the potential to create India’s biggest entertainment company, with 120 TV channels and two streaming apps under the same umbrella. Once everything was being finalised, multiple strategies would have been discussed.

The companies even considered integrating both these streaming apps into one while the other strategy was to keep one for sports like IPL and FIFA while the other would be available for entertainment.

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After a lot of back and forth, the leadership has reportedly decided that once the merger is in place, Disney+ Hotstar will serve as the primary streaming platform. Employees of both streaming services have been reportedly informed about this final decision.

This decision is said to have been taken because Disney+ Hotstar has a better back-end technology for handling live content and serving targeted ads. Also, the number of subscribers would have tipped the scale in Hotstar’s favour. It’s important to note that these details are basis reports, and nothing has been officially confirmed yet.

This merger brings together two giants of content that have rights to IPL, ISL, Winter Olympics while the other has the rights to ICC tournaments, Pro Kabaddi League, and more. And finally, Hollywood content acquired by Disney, HBO, NBC Universal, and Paramount Global also becomes available on the same platform.

With the Star-Viacom 18 merger in its final stages, there are a few decisions that are still being made. There is also a possibility that the streaming platform may be rebranded. However, nothing has been confirmed yet.

The impact of this merger on Premium members is also yet to be declared. With the way things are headed, it looks like IPL will be featured on Disney+ Hotstar in 2025.