Disney Star

Logo used since 2025
Trade name	JioStar
Formerly	Star India Private Limited (Disney Star)
Company type	Joint venture
Industry	Media conglomerate
Founded	August 1, 1990; 35 years ago (1990-08-01) asStar TV
Founders	Hutchison Whampoa Li Ka-shing
Headquarters	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Nita Ambani (chair) Uday Shankar (vice-chair) Kevin Vaz (CEO – Entertainment) Kiran Mani (CEO – Digital) Sanjog Gupta (CEO – Sports)
Services	Television broadcasting Films
Revenue	₹260 billion (US$3.1 billion) (FY 2024)
Parent	Li Ka-shing (1990–1995) Star TV (1995–2013) 21st Century Fox (2013–2019) Disney India (2019–2024) (2024– Present) Viacom18 (46.82%) Disney India (36.84%) RIL (16.34%)
Divisions	Star Studio18 Star Sports JioHotstar Owned TV channels
Website	jiostar.com

Disney Star, nowJioStar India Private Limited (and formerlyStar India), is an Indianmedia conglomeratejoint venture betweenDisney India,Reliance Industries and the latters subsidiaryViacom18.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} On 14 November 2024, Viacom18 merged its assets withDisney India's subsidiary Disney Star to form JioStar. The deal, valued at $8.5 billion, involved the investment of₹11,000 crore (US$1.3 billion) by Reliance Industries, which left Reliance Industries with a total stake of 63.16%, 16.34% directly and 46.82 percent through Viacom18, with Disney India contolling the remaining 36.84%.^[6] It is the largest television and entertainment network in India, operating more than 100 TV channels and a major streaming platform calledJioHotstar.

Star TV (Satellite Television Asian Region) was founded in 1990 as a joint venture betweenHutchison Whampoa andLi Ka-shing. It launched Hollywood English-language entertainment channels for Asian audiences and in India as Star India.^[7] Its first five channels includedStar Plus (then anEnglish-languageentertainment channel),Star Chinese Channel,Prime Sports,MTV Asia (nowChannel V) andBBC World Service Television (now simplyBBC News).^[7]

In 1992,Rupert Murdoch'sNews Corporation purchased 63.6% of Star India for $525 million, followed by the purchase of the remaining 36.4% on 1 January 1993. Star broadcasting operations were run from Rupert Murdoch's Fox Broadcasting premises.^[8][9] It later launchedStar Movies,Channel V, andStar News with a limited Hindi offering, and thenStar Plus for Indian viewers.^{[10][11][12][13]}

In 2001, Star India acquired South India basedVijay TV, renaming itStar Vijay.^[14] In 2003, Star India's Star News deal withNDTV ended. In the same year, the Indian government introduced a guideline limiting foreign equity in the national news business to 26%. At that time Star India was wholly owned by Hong Kong-based companySatellite Television Asia Region Ltd. As a result, Star India entered into a joint venture with theAnandabazar Patrika group (ABP) to form a new company, Media Content and Communications Services Pvt. Ltd. (MCCS), which took control of Star News' operations. ABP held a 74% majority stake, while Star India reduced its participation with the remaining 26% to comply with the regulations set for the uplinking of news and current affairs channels by the government of India. Star India, subsequently exited from this joint venture in 2012. After the split, the channel was renamedABP News and operated by the Anandabazar Patrika Group.^[13]

In 2004,Star One was launched as a Hindi youth-oriented channel.^[15] In 2008,Star Jalsha andStar Pravah,Bengali andMarathi languagegeneral entertainment channels respectively, were launched.^[16][17]

In 2009, Star India acquired Kerala-based media conglomerateAsianet Communications, which servedMalayalam language content.^[18] In August 2009, theStar Group restructured its Asian broadcast businesses into three units – Star India,Star China Media, andFox International Channels Asia.^[18]

In the same year, Star Affiliate andCJ Group of South Korea launched CJ Alive (later known as Shop CJ), a 24-hour Indiantelevision shopping channel that usedStar Utsav for hosting the television marketing programs in six-hour slots in its initial stage of launch. Star Affiliate exited the joint venture in May 2014.^[19]

News Corporation launched a film production and distribution business in India throughFox Star Studios, an affiliate of Star India in the same year.^[20]

In April 2012, Star India won the rights toBoard of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) through 2018, replacingNimbus Communications. Valued at₹3,851 crore (equivalent to₹73 billion or US$860 million in 2023), the agreement included rights toIndia national cricket team home matches on television and mobile streaming, as well as domestic tournaments such as theRanji Trophy andIrani Cup.^[21]

On 6 November 2013, Star India rebranded itsStar Sports channels, renaming the mainStar Sports channel toStar Sports 1,Star Cricket to Hindi-languageStar Sports 3,ESPN to Tamil-languageStar Sports 4, andStar Cricket HD andESPN HD toStar Sports HD1 andHD2.^[22][23]

In February 2015, Star India launched its streaming service,Hotstar, a mobile and online entertainment OTT platform that features content in 9 Indian languages and broadcasts sporting events.^[24][25][26] Star also acquired the broadcast businesses ofMaa TV to boost its presence inTelugu-speaking markets, renaming itStar Maa.^[27]

In February 2017, Star India and global media conglomerateTED announced a new TV series,TED Talks India – Nayi Soch. The programme starredBollywood actorShah Rukh Khan and featured newer TED talks made in Hindi language. The programme followed the signature TED format of prominent speakers voicing their opinions in an 18-minute or less monologue in front of a live audience.^[28][29]

On 28 August 2017, Star India rebranded its Hindi entertainment channelLife OK toStar Bharat.^[30]

On 5 September 2017, Star India won the global media rights to broadcast theIndian Premier League (IPL) under a five-year deal beginning in the2018 tournament, and valued at₹163.475 billion (equivalent to₹230 billion or US$2.7 billion in 2023). Beating previous rightsholderSony, the contract included domestic rights for Star Sports, and digital rights for Hotstar.^[31]

On 14 December 2017,The Walt Disney Company announced their intent toacquire Star India's parent company21st Century Fox forUS$52.4 billion.^[32][33]

In 2018, Star India renewed its BCCI rights through March 2023, in a contract valued at₹61,384.1 crore (equivalent to₹820 billion or US$9.7 billion in 2023).^[34]

On 13 December 2018, Disney announcedUday Shankar who served as chairman of Star India would leadDisney's Asian operations and would become the new chairman ofDisney India, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.^[35] On 27 August 2018, the channel Star Life was launched in Africa in English language offering the English dubbed Indian Hindi series from the Indian star channels.^[36][37]

On 4 January 2019, Star TV shut down its television operations in USA for the promotion of its digital counterpart, Hotstar.^[38]

On 20 March 2019, Star India became a subsidiary ofDisney India after the US$71.3 billion deal in the acquisition of former parent company 21st Century Fox was closed. Disney India now owned television channels of both its extant subsidiaryUTV Software Communications and Star India.^[39][40]

In April 2020, the Walt Disney Company merged Hotstar withDisney+ in India to formDisney+ Hotstar with Hotstar operating independently and coexisting with Disney+ in Canada and US,^[41] since it launched on 4 September 2017; the United Kingdom on 13 September 2018;^[42] and Singapore on 4 November 2020, prior to the launch of Disney+ in the country.^[43]

On 30 December 2020, Disney announced that the Star branding would be replaced with Utsav from 1 February in the Netherlands,^[44] with theUtsav Gold,Utsav Plus andUtsav Bharat branding launching in the UK on 22 January 2021. Star Vijay's international feed also changed a new logo based with Utsav Network in yellow colour and rebranded as Vijay TV around the world on that same day. Utsav Network separated intoStar Gold, Plus and Bharat also launched in South Korea.^[45]

On 31 August 2021, Disney announced that it would phase out Hotstar in the US and move all content intoHulu andESPN+. Initially, it was announced that the service would shut down in the US by late 2022,^[46] until it got moved to an earlier date on 30 November 2021.^[47]

On 18 October 2021, Disney and Star announced that they would exit from the English general entertainment industry and that they would close downStar World andStar World Premiere in India originally planned by 30 November 2021 (although the Star Movies channels, alongsideDisney International HD would not be affected). The Bangla and Marathi feeds of Star Sports 1 also closed on the same day. Meanwhile, the Star Gold brand expanded with the launch of anHD simulcast ofStar Gold 2 that replacedUTV HD, alongside the rebranding ofUTV Movies andUTV Action asStar Gold Romance andStar Gold Thrills.Star Movies Select HD, Star Movies Hindi, and Star Movies Tamil were also to be launched as SD simulcasts of Star Movies, becoming the first niche premium English movie channel in India to do so.^[48] However, a delay in TRAI's new tariff order, followed by protests from digital cable operators and multi-system operators, caused the plans to be postponed till mid-March 2023.^[49]

On 14 April 2022, Disney India rebranded Star India to Disney Star.^[50] On 27 May 2022, Fox Star Studios was renamed justStar Studios, as part of the removal of the "Fox" name from the studios that had been acquired from 21st Century Fox by Disney.^[51]

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In July 2023, The Walt Disney Company began exploring strategic options, including a sale or formation of a joint venture, for their businesses in India.^[52] Between September and October 2023, the company held preliminary talks withReliance Industries, billionaireGautam Adani andKalanithi Maran, owner of theSun Group, for a potential sale of its streaming and linear television assets.^[53][54] In late October 2023, it was reported that Disney was nearing a cash and stock deal with Reliance Industries for the sale of its operations in India, including a controlling stake in Disney Star. The assets Reliance would acquire are reportedly valued at around $7–8 billion and a transaction was to be announced as early as November.^[55] Although Disney CEOBob Iger refuted claims of a sale during a third-quarter earnings call, it was announced in December 2023 that Disney and Reliance had signed a non-binding term sheet for a merger. According to its terms, Reliance would hold 51% of the merged company in cash and stock, while Disney would own the remaining 49%. For purposes of the merger, a subsidiary ofViacom18 (itself a subsidiary of Reliance) was created to absorb Disney Star through astock swap,^[56] pending ratification and regulatory approval.^{[57][58][59][60]}

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 Star Plus,Colors TV and theStar Gold Network, sports channels Star Sports andSports18 and the streaming servicesJioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar withNita Ambani serving as the chairperson of the joint venture, withUday Shankar serving as vice chairperson with the deal giving 16.34% to Reliance and 46.82% to Viacom18, with the deal being expected to close sometime in late 2024 or early 2025 pending regulatory approval.^[56][61][62]

In March 2024, it was reported thatParamount Global was looking to sell its remaining 13.01% stake in Viacom18 to Reliance, which already owned a 73.91% share viaTV18.^[63] AlthoughBloomberg 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.^[64]

In August 2024, theNational Company Law Tribunal approved a deal between Disney and Reliance Industries where JioCinema and Viacom18 would be merged intoDigital18.^[65] In November 2024, Disney and Reliance Industries agreed to merge Star India and Viacom18. The deal was reported to be valued at $8.5 billion.^[66]

On 14 February, 2025 JioStar combined the streaming servicesJioCinema andDisney+ Hotstar to launchJioHotstar.^[67]

On 6 August, 2025 it was reported that JioStar has acquired the exclusive broadcast and streaming rights for theUS Open Tennis Championships for the next five years.^[68]

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