Jio and Star Unite as Unified Entity for India-England Series

Key Points

• Jio and Star have completed their mega-merger and are now operating as a unified entity.
• The first major indication of this integration will be seen during England's tour of India for an eight-match white-ball series.
• The series will be broadcast live on Star Sports and Disney+ Hotstar, with the original platforms – Sports18 and JioCinema – also streaming and broadcasting the games.

Merger Details

• The merger was formalized last month, with Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) announcing the integration of Viacom18's media and JioCinema businesses into Star India Private Limited (SIPL).
• RIL invested Rs 11,500 crore (1.4 billion) into the JV for its growth.
• The transaction was worth INR 70.352 crore (USD 8.5 billion).

Cricket Properties

• Star Sports has long been India's leading sports channel, holding cricket properties such as India's home matches, ICC (World Cup) matches, and the IPL.
• However, with the emergence of Sports18 and JioCinema, Star faced competition, resulting in sharing the IPL and losing India's home games.
• The ICC rights stayed with Star Sports.