Disney and Reliance's merger for their media assets took place in February. The merger was valued at $8.5 billion, creating one of India's biggest entertainment companies.  Jio Cinema and Disney+ Hotstar were two premium streaming apps under respective media houses serving over a million viewers across the country. Now that the deal is in place, as per Reuters’ report, all live sporting events will only be available on Disney's Hotstar app. This includes the upcoming IPL 2025 season. IPL 2025: Players Each Franchise Can Retain or Use RTM Card For After BCCI Announces IPL Retention Rules.

The new venture will have over 120 TV Channels and two live streaming apps. India's competition regulator approved the merger in August. The companies are said to have offered concessions to ease worries about their grip on cricket broadcasting rights and also committed to not raising advertising rates unreasonably.

IPL 2025 Live Streaming on Hotstar instead of Jio Cinema Due to Disney-Reliance Merger

The streaming app – Jio Cinema entered the market with a mega streaming deal with Indian Premier League. It proved profitable as the ‘Free live streaming’ attracted many subscribers. IPL was among the most-streamed content and handed Jio Cinema an opportunity to establish itself with rights for the Winter Olympics and Indian Super League football. IPL 2025 Retention Rules: Six Retentions Allowed, Right to Match Card Returns, Auction Purse For Franchises Increases to 120 Crore.

Reliance's JioCinema has the rights to IPL cricket and now with the merger, the content and rights will be shared. Hotstar has rights to the International Cricket Council's tournaments in India, the Pro Kabaddi League, and English Premier League football. As per inputs, Hotstar's better back-end technology for handling live content won them the right to provide live streaming of the IPL tournament.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 19, 2024 09:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).