Factbox: Disney-Reliance India media merger approved: Who are their top rivals?

Sun TV Network

28/08/2024 12:26

(Updates paragraph 1 after regulatory approval)
       Aug 28 (Reuters) - The $8.5 billion merger of Reliance
and Walt Disney India media assets has been approved by India's
antitrust body, clearing the way for a deal that will create
India's largest entertainment business.
The proposed merger, first announced in February, is expected to
combine 120 TV channels and two streaming platforms, challenging
rivals such as Japan's Sony  6758.T  and Netflix  NFLX.O  in a
$28 billion media and entertainment sector set to be worth $100
billion by the end of the decade. 
    Here is a list of the other leading media players in India
and the sectors they dominate:    
     
    ZEE ENTERTAINMENT
    One of the oldest media companies in India, Zee's businesses
include television broadcasting, video streaming and movie
production. Its domestic broadcast portfolio consists of around
48 TV channels as well as a streaming platform.
Japan's Sony Group in January pulled the plug on a $10 billion
merger deal with Zee that had been in the works for two years,
citing unresolved "closing conditions" and leadership disputes.
     
    SONY INDIA
    In its 29th year of operation, Sony Pictures Networks India,
Sony Group's subsidiary, operates 26 channels ranging from
general entertainment to sports and movies.
    It says its content reaches as many as 700 million viewers
in India and is available in 167 countries.
    Sony also operates the video streaming platform Sony LIV in
India.
     
    NETFLIX
The streaming giant Netflix views India as a key market. In a
recent visit to India, Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos was quoted as
saying that he sees its Indian subscriber base rising to 100
million over time, from around 10 million now. 
     
    AMAZON PRIME
Amazon Prime Video is estimated to have about 20 million users
in India. Its Indian aggregation service, Channels, offers
subscriptions to other global and local video streaming
services.
     
    BENNETT COLEMAN AND COMPANY
    Based in Mumbai and established in 1913, the company
produces its flagship Times of India newspaper and owns a host
of assets in broadcasting, publishing, radio, film and
entertainment.
     
    SUN TV NETWORK
    Dominant in south India, Sun TV  SUTV.NS  operates 35 TV
channels in six languages, along with 69 FM radio stations and
three daily newspapers.

(Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar and Dhwani Pandya in Mumbai
and Varun Hebbalalu in Bengaluru; Editing by Kevin Liffey,
Sharon Singleton and David Goodman)
((mailto:shilpa.jamkhandikar@thomsonreuters.com;))