Paramount Global s recent sale of its 13.01% stake in Viacom18 to Reliance Industries has allowed the company to exit its Indian joint venture with a profitable return on investment. Paramount fully divested from Viacom18 for ₹4,286 crore, while continuing content licensing agreements. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2024 or early 2025, pending regulatory approval. The merger agreement between RIL, Walt Disney s Star India, and Viacom18 will impact the ownership structure, with RIL and Viacom18 set to hold a majority stake in the proposed merged entity.
Paramount Global: Its Paramount+ streaming service is available on Viacom18’s JioCinema as a content block under the premium subscription tier. Viacom18 will continue to operate TV channels under Paramount-owned brands like MTV, Vh1 and Nickelodeon.
Indians love their movies. But global entertainment firms don’t like being in India that much. They have refrained from active investment; their movie production operations are more or less defunct. What explains this disenchantment? Here’s one answer: “You can’t run the country on a tourist visa.”
Broadcasting rights for the IPL, which are among the most lucrative in the country, are set to get consolidated from next year. Will this consolidation rain sixes for broadcasters, or will it impact the advertising run rate?
Viacom18 s JioCinema is shifting to a hybrid monetization model, placing Indian GEC and movie content behind a paywall at Rs 30/month or Rs 300/year. Live sports remain free. The move aims to boost revenue, leveraging IPL for rollout. Post-COI approval, JioCinema s merger into Viacom18 aims to fortify its OTT presence.