JioStar: Merging of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar to go live on THIS date

The fourth season of Disney+ Hotstar’s Criminal Justice will stream soon; (right) Murder in Mahim was one of JioCinema’s originals

On Tuesday, the JioStar website went live, with the text on the screen simply reading, ‘Coming soon'. This marks a new chapter in the months-long merger that has been underway between Reliance Industries Limited's Viacom18, and Disney Star India. In the months since the merger's official announcement in February, there has been speculation about the road ahead for the two media networks' OTT arms, JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar. With JioStar expected to be fully functional on November 14 midnight, an insider tells mid-day that the content of the two platforms will be merged. "The merging of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar will be complete by November 13. After JioStar goes live on November 14 midnight, the content of both streamers will be available on this platform under separate sub-domains," reveals a technical hand from JioCinema.

The question now is: What does the merger imply for the multiple channels under the two networks? While Disney Star brings with it over 20 channels across general entertainment, sports and movies, Viacom18 has its own bouquet that includes Colors and regional channels. A production source from Star says, "Both Star and Colors have multiple regional channels targeting Bengali, Punjabi, Odia, Kannada audiences and more. So, instead of the two channels vying for the same viewers, the content of the weaker channel will be merged into the more popular counterpart. For instance, Star Marathi is doing considerably better than Colors Marathi; so, the latter will dissolve into the former. If there is a stand-out show that brings in high TRPs or pulls in a new audience, it will be retained. An example of this is Anupamaa, which is originally a Star offering. But largely, the idea is to stop replication of channels. In addition, there are many Hindi general entertainment channels, including Star Bharat, Star Plus, Star Utsav, and so on. These could be in direct competition to Colors TV. So, the channels will merge in the near future after a final programming has been locked. The final branding of these channels will be determined in the months to come."

The medical drama Grey's Anatomy was being aired on Disney+ Hotstar

On the streaming front, the overlapping of international content is far less. While Disney+ Hotstar houses popular content from ABC and Showtime, such as Grey's Anatomy and Modern Family, JioCinema has the HBO and Paramount slates. The source adds, "JioStar, in that regard, will boast a diverse and enviable library. From old offerings like Game of Thrones to the more current winners like The Bear, it will have something for everyone."

The popular homegrown titles of Disney+ Hotstar remain untouched. A hand from Disney+ Hotstar informs, "If there is a big title well in its third or fourth season, it will continue. For instance, we will soon release the fourth season of Criminal Justice. Other franchise shows such as Aarya and The Trial remain, while new series will be picked up January onwards. The operations will require synergy and will be worked out by December-end." Naturally, with the two networks' workforce being consolidated, it will result in multiple people in the same roles. A trimming of head count is likely to take place.

The biggest highlight of the merger, however, is the idea of taking OTT to the last-mile consumer. It is heard that Uday Shankar, who is serving as the vice-chairman of the merged entity and will establish its strategic direction, wants to emphasise on Advertising Video on Demand (AVOD) and Transactional Video on Demand (TVOD) to lure a wider demographic. Another source from the Jio team says, "This merger will redefine how TV and streaming will be integrated, and thus change the content landscape. We are looking at reaching every Indian, which will be possible only when you stop making it premium. That's why we're taking the three-pronged approach with JioStar: there will be AVOD for the widest base. Then comes SVOD at an affordable price; we noticed that the R29 per month model worked for JioCinema. The third will be TVOD, wherein you can rent certain digital content for a price. JioStar will make room for every viewer, as per how much they can afford."

mid-day reached out to the communication teams of Viacom, Jio and Hotstar, who did not respond till press time.