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Viacom18

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Viacom18 Media Private Limited
Company typeJoint venture
Viacom18
Industrymedia conglomerate
FoundedNovember 2007; 17 years ago (2007-11)
Defunct14 November 2024; 44 days ago (2024-11-14)
SuccessorJioStar
HeadquartersLower Parel, Mumbai,Maharashtra, India[1]
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Kevin Vaz (CEO - Broadcast) , Kiran Mani (CEO -Digital and sports)
OwnersJoint Venture between Reliance Industries 70.49%
Network18 13.54%
Bodhi Tree Systems 15.97%
Websiteviacom18.com

Viacom18 Media Private Limited is a formerly independent Indian media conglomerate, currently part of JioStar. It is a Joint venture between Reliance Industries, Network18 and Bodhi Tree Systems. The joint-venture had various channels and content production studios in India. Following merger of its assets with Disney Star, it continues to be largest shareholder in the newly formed merged entity.[2]

History

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Founding and early years 2007–2011

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In January 2010, Viacom18 went international with the launch of Colors in United States. The channel is called Aapka Colors. In July 2010, it got into 50/50 distribution joint venture with Sun Network to form Sun 18.[3]

In December 2011, Viacom18 launched Nickelodeon Sonic, targeting young adults.[4]

ETV Network acquisition and rebranding 2014–2015

In January 2014, TV18 acquired the non-Telugu language TV assets of ETV Network for ₹2,053 crore, with a permission to use ETV brand name.[5]

In March 2015, Viacom18 decided to rebrand all five non-Telugu language ETV regional general entertainment channels. ETV Marathi, ETV Gujarati, ETV Kannada, ETV Bangla, and ETV Odia were rebranded into Colors Marathi, Colors Gujarati, Colors Kannada, Colors Bangla, and Colors Odia respectively.[6]

Viacom's share acquisition 2018–2019

The company also owns Viacom18 Studios. On 31 January 2018, TV18 announced its acquisition of Viacom's majority in the joint venture, taking operational control and leaving Viacom with minority interest.[7] On 1 October 2019, Viacom18 launched Colors HD in Malaysia on Astro Malaysia; every serial will be served with Malay and English subtitles.[citation needed]

More recently, the company had signed a deal with the National Basketball Association in order to deliver live NBA games to all of their own networks.[8]

Attempted mergers with Sony and Zee, partnership with Bodhi Tree Systems 2020–2023

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In June 2020, Sony's Indian unit Sony Pictures Networks was in talks with Viacom18 about a merger, with the talks getting advanced much later. If the merger was successful, Sony would be 74% shareholder in the merged company.[9] However, in October 2020, Reliance Industries,[10] the majority share holder in Viacom18, called off the merger.[11][12]

In June 2021,[13] reports stated Viacom18 and Zee Entertainment Enterprises were reportedly in talks about a merger.[14] However, Zee denied any talks about a potential merger with Viacom18,[15] later entering talks with Sony Pictures Networks, which was also in talks about a merger with Viacom18 earlier.[16]

In January 2022, there were reports that Lupa India, an investment company set up by Uday Shankar and James Murdoch, were in the final stages of picking up a 39% stake in Viacom18.[17] thereby turning Paramount Global into a minority shareholder with a 10% share in the company.[18] In April 2022, Reliance announced that Bodhi Tree Systems, a company founded by Shankar and Murdoch with backing from the Qatar Investment Authority,[19] would make a US$1.8 billion investment in Viacom18 to "jointly build India’s leading entertainment platform and pioneer the Indian media landscape's transformation to a ‘streaming-first’ approach." As part of the venture, JioCinema—a streaming service owned by Reliance's mobile operator Jio—would be brought under Viacom18. Paramount would remain a stakeholder and content partner. The deal was approved by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in September 2022.[20][21] The sale was completed on 17 April 2023, with Bodhi Tree acquiring a 13.08% stake in the venture, and diluting Paramount Global's stake to 13.01%.[22]

Merger with Disney Star 2023–present

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In December 2023, it was announced that The Walt Disney Company India and Reliance had signed a non-binding term sheet for a merger. According to its terms, Reliance would hold a 51% in the merged company in cash and stock, while Disney would own the remaining 49%. For purposes of the merger, a subsidiary of Viacom18 was going to be created to absorb Disney Star through a stock swap,[23] pending ratification and regulatory approval.[24][25][26][27]

In February 2024, Disney and Reliance reached a deal to merge their streaming and television assets, with the joint venture valued at $8.5 billion including synergies. As part of the deal, Viacom18 would be merged into Disney Star with Disney holding a 36.84% stake in the combined entity, which would bring together assets such as linear television entertainment channels StarPlus, Colors TV and the Star Gold Network, sports channels Star Sports and Sports18 and the streaming services JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar with Nita Ambani serving as the chairperson of the joint venture, with Uday Shankar serving as vice chairperson with the deal giving 16.34% to Reliance and 46.82% to Viacom18[28] and is expected to close sometime in late 2024 or early 2025 pending regulatory approval.[29][30]

In March 2024, it was reported that Paramount Global was looking to sell its 13.01% stake in Viacom18 to Reliance, which already owned a 73.91% share via TV18.[31] Although Bloomberg News reported that the deal was unlikely to close, the deal was confirmed a week later for $517 million, its closure subject to regulatory approval and the completion of the joint venture between Viacom18 and Disney. Paramount would however continue to license its content to the company.[32]

On May 14, 2024, It was reported the deal between Disney and Reliance was approved by National Company Law Tribunal, with the JioCinema streaming service being moved to the Digital18 unit as part of the merger.[33][34]

On 28 August 2024, the CCI has approved the merger of Disney+ Hotstar with Viacom18.[35]

On 28 September 2024 The Central government gave nod to the transfer of the non-news and current affairs TV channels held by Viacom18 to Star India is subject to conditions laid by Competition commission of India.

On 14 November 2024, Reliance Industries Limited issued a media release stating that merger of Viacom18 with Star India has become effective.[36][2]

Owned Channels

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On-air channels

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Following are the channels that Viacom18 owned, prior to its merger with Star India:

Channel Launched Language Category SD/HD availability Notes
Colors TV 2008 Hindi General Entertainment SD+HD
Colors Rishtey 2014 SD Previously Rishtey
MTV 1996 Youth SD+HD Formerly MTV HD+
MTV Beats 2016 Music Formerly MTV Indies
Colors Cineplex Movies Formerly Rishtey Cineplex (original)
Colors Cineplex Bollywood 2021 SD
Colors Cineplex Superhits 2022 Previously Rishtey Cineplex (relaunch)
Sports18 Khel Sports
Sports18 1 English SD+HD
Sports18 2 2023 SD
Sports18 3
Colors Infinity 2015 General Entertainment SD+HD
Comedy Central 2012
VH1 2005 Music
Nickelodeon 1999 Hindi
Tamil
Telugu
Malayalam
Bengali
Marathi
Gujarati
Kannada 		Kids SD
Nickelodeon Sonic 2011
Nick Jr. 2012 Hindi
English
Nickelodeon HD+ 2015 HD
History TV18 2011 Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi Information SD+HD Joint Venture with A&E Networks
Colors Bangla 2000 Bengali General Entertainment Previously known as ETV Bangla
Colors Bangla Cinema 2019 Movies SD
Colors Gujarati 2002 Gujarati General Entertainment Previously known as ETV Gujarati
Colors Gujarati Cinema 2019 Movies
Colors Odia 2002 Odia General Entertainment Previously known as ETV Odia
Colors Marathi 2000 Marathi SD+HD Previously known as ETV Marathi
Colors Kannada Kannada Previously known as ETV Kannada
Colors Super 2016 SD
Colors Kannada Cinema 2018 Movies
Colors Tamil Tamil General Entertainment SD+HD

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd". Viacom18.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Reliance And Disney Announce Completion Of Transaction To Form Joint Venture To Bring Together The Most Iconic And Engaging Entertainment Brands In India" (PDF).
  3. ^ "Beefing Up The Bouquet". business.outlookindia.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Viacom18 launches its new channel 'Sonic Nickelodeon' in India". India Infoline. 5 December 2018. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Network18 finishes Rs 2,053-cr deal to acquire ETV stakes". The Economic Times. 22 January 2014. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  6. ^ "ETV re-branding to Colors". Archived from the original on 18 February 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  7. ^ "TV18 to increase stake to 51% in Viacom18, the JV with Viacom Inc". Viacom18. 31 January 2018. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Viacom18 inks three-year media rights deal with NBA - Exchange4media". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  9. ^ IANS (21 July 2020). "Sony to own 74% after merger with Viacom 18, to battle Disney Star". National Herald. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Reliance Industries calls off merger of Viacom18 with Sony". The Times of India. PTI. 5 October 2020. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  11. ^ Jha, Lata (5 October 2020). "Sony's slated merger with Viacom18 now called off". mint. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Jio | Mukesh Ambani: With Jio in mind, Mukesh Ambani's RIL calls off merger of Viacom18, Sony". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  13. ^ Laskar, Anirudh (20 June 2021). "Viacom18 and Zee Entertainment in early merger talks". mint. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  14. ^ "Viacom18 and Zeel eyeing a merger?". Indian Television Dot Com. 21 June 2021. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  15. ^ "ZEEL denies any potential merger deal with Viacom18 - Exchange4media". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  16. ^ "ZEEL starts due diligence process for merger with Sony Pictures Networks". The Financial Express. 20 October 2021. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  17. ^ Gupta, Surajeet Das (27 January 2022). "Uday Shankar, James Murdoch firm to pick up 39% stake in Viacom 18". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  18. ^ Laghate, Gaurav. "Uday Shankar, James Murdoch plan to pick up nearly 40% in Viacom18, Reliance to retain majority stake". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  19. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (9 February 2022). "James Murdoch, Uday Shankar Set Bodhi Tree as $1.5 Billion Qatar-Backed Media Investment Venture". Variety. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  20. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (27 April 2022). "James Murdoch's Bodhi Tree, Reliance, Viacom18 Strike $2 Billion Deal to Create Giant Indian TV and Streaming Company". Variety. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  21. ^ "CCI approves merger of Jio Cinema OTT with Viacom18 Media". The Economic Times. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  22. ^ "Bodhi Tree-Viacom18 deal: Why the new deal points towards Reliance's aggressive push in broadcasting business". Business Today. 17 April 2023. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  23. ^ Prasad, Nikita (28 February 2024). "Reliance, Disney India merge streaming, TV assets to create ₹70,352 crore media powerhouse; 5 key highlights". Mint. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  24. ^ Barman, Arijit; Farooqui, Jaaved (25 December 2023). "Reliance, Disney ink non-binding agreement for mega merger". Economic Times. Archived from the original on 26 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  25. ^ Sinha, Vaishnawi (25 December 2023). "Mukesh Ambani's Reliance-Disney Star deal explained: 10 points on mega-merger". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  26. ^ Kaustubh, Abhinav (9 November 2023). ""We'd Like To Stay," Disney CEO On Hotstar's Alleged Sale To Reliance Jio, Adani Group". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  27. ^ Akash, Sreenivasan. "What We Know About The $8.5 Billion Disney Merger With Reliance In India". Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  28. ^ Prasad, Nikita (28 February 2024). "Reliance, Disney India merge streaming, TV assets to create ₹70,352 crore media powerhouse; 5 key highlights". Mint. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  29. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (28 February 2024). "Disney And Reliance Clinch Joint Venture In India". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  30. ^ "Reliance And Disney Announce Strategic Joint Venture To Bring Together The Most Compelling And Engaging Entertainment Brands In India" (PDF). BSE India. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  31. ^ Whittock, Jesse (7 March 2024). "Paramount In Talks To Sell Stake In Viacom18 To Disney India Partner Reliance — Bloomberg". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  32. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (13 March 2024). "Paramount Global Sells Stake In Viacom18 To India's Reliance For $500 Million". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  33. ^ Kumar, Abhijeet (14 May 2024). "NCLT approves merger process for Reliance's arm Viacom18 and Star India". Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  34. ^ Farooqui, Javed; Vyas, Maulik (17 May 2024). "NLCT sets the ball rolling on merger of Reliance's arm Viacom18 and Star India". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  35. ^ PTI (28 August 2024). "CCI clears mega-deal involving merger of media assets of RIL and Walt Disney". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  36. ^ "RIL, Viacom18 and Disney complete merger to create a Rs 70,352 cr JV". The Economic Times. 14 November 2024. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
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