Tag: jio cinema

Disney, Reliance Sign Non-binding Agreement for India Media Operations Merger: Report

Reliance Industries, India’s most valuable company, and Walt Disney signed a non-binding term sheet to merge their Indian media operations, the Economic Times reported on Monday, citing sources it did not name.

Under the merger, Reliance would own 51% through a combination of shares and cash, with Disney holding the remaining 49%, giving more control to Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance group, the newspaper said.

The deal is likely to be completed by February, with Reliance aiming to finish the process by the end of January, subject to regulatory approvals, it said.

Reliance and Disney did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Reuters reported two weeks ago that company executives were meeting in London to discuss the next stage of the media merger.

A merger would create one of India’s biggest entertainment empires, competing with television interests such as Zee Entertainment and Sony and streaming giants including Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Reliance runs many TV channels and the JioCinema streaming app through its media and entertainment unit, Viacom18. Ambani has been locked in a fierce battle with Disney, offering free streaming of the Indian Premier League cricket tournament, whose digital rights were once with Disney in India.

This has sparked a user exodus from Disney’s streaming app Hotstar in recent quarters. Since early this year, Disney has been exploring a sale or joint venture partnership for its India business, which includes many TV channels. The proposed deal would create a unit under Reliance’s Viacom18 to take control of Star India through a stock swap, the Economic Times said. The parties are working on a plan to invest $1 billion to $1.5 billion in the business, it said, without specifying whether this was the total or the amount each would invest.

The board is expected to include an equal number of directors from Reliance and Disney, with at least two representatives each, the newspaper said. They are also in consideration of having at least two independent directors, but this might change in the coming weeks, the report said.

(Reporting by Navamya Ganesh Acharya in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)

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Apple Announces App Store’s Top Apps and Games of 2023: WhatsApp, JioCinema, BGMI, and More

Apple has revealed the year-end charts for the most popular apps and games on the App Store in over 35 countries and regions. Consequently, the iPhone maker has announced the most downloaded apps and games of 2023 in India, as well. Unsurprisingly, WhatsApp has emerged as the top free iPhone app, while the DSLR Camera app, which provides users professional-grade camera controls, is the top paid iPhone app of the year. Earlier this month, Apple also revealed its 2023 App Store Award winners.

The 2023 year-end charts, which can be seen on the App Store’s Today tab, feature the top free and paid apps and games of the year, along with the top Apple Arcade games. WhatsApp was followed by the usual suspects, Instagram and YouTube, as the most downloaded free iPhone app of the year. Surprisingly, streaming platform JioCinema claimed the fourth spot, beating Google, Snapchat, and Google Pay.

Productivity-focused apps, including pdf Scanner, Slow Shutter Cam, Forest: Focus for Productivity emerged as the top downloaded paid apps on iPhone. On the gaming side, Battlegrounds Mobile India, popularly known as BGMI, was the most downloaded free game on iPhone. Hitman Sniper, on the other hand, was the top paid game. Ludo King and Subway Surfers rounded out the top three free iPhone games, while Minecraft and Real Flight Simulator made the top three list on the paid side.

On iPad, JioCinema was the most downloaded free app in 2023, while illustration app Procreate was the top paid app on the Apple tablet. BGMI emerged as the top free game on iPad as well, with Minecraft as the most downloaded paid game. Over on Apple Arcade, NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition, Asphalt 8: Airborne+, and Angry Birds Reloaded were the top three most downloaded games of the year.

Earlier this month, hiking and biking app AllTrails was crowned as the best app on iPhone for 2023. The App Store awards also recognised apps like digital makeup sketch pad app Prêt-à-Makeup and photo editing software Photomator across Apple devices. miHoYo’s latest RPG gacha title Honkai: Star Rail was named as the iPhone Game of the Year, while souls-like action RPG Lies of P emerged as the best game on Mac.

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Disney Is Considering Selling Its Indian Streaming and TV Business, Reliance Is Among Potential Buyers

Walt Disney has held preliminary talks with potential buyers for its India streaming and television business including billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries, according to people familiar with the matter.

The US entertainment giant has discussed a range of options with would-be suitors, from a deal for the entire Disney Star business to a piecemeal transaction that may include some combination of its assets including sports rights and regional streaming service Disney+ Hotstar, the people said.

Disney has been weighing strategic options for the business including an outright sale or setting up a joint venture, Bloomberg News reported in July after the Indian unit lost its streaming rights to the Indian Premier League cricket tournament to Viacom18, a tie-up between Paramount Global and Reliance. Disney had approached Reliance about potentially buying a stake in the business, a person familiar with the matter said at the time.

Discussions are ongoing and may not lead to any deal, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private. Disney could decide to hold onto the assets for longer, they added. A representative for Disney declined to comment.

A spokesperson for Reliance said the company “evaluates various opportunities on an ongoing basis” and will make the required disclosures when necessary, declining to comment further.

Though Disney Star has seen declining subscriber numbers after losing the IPL streaming rights, it hasn’t ceded the entire cricket business, securing the television rights through 2027. Last year it agreed to license the TV rights for International Cricket Council men’s matches to ZEE Entertainment for four years, with Disney+ Hotstar retaining the digital rights.

JioCinema, the streaming service backed by Reliance, netted a record 32 million concurrent viewers in May for the IPL final, which was free to watch on the platform. The venture has begun charging for some content on the platform after signing a multi-year pact to stream Warner Bros. Discovery’s exclusive content in India.

© 2023 Bloomberg LP

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Jio Studios Unveils Content Slate With 62 Titles: Shah Rukh Khan-Led Dunki, Bhediya 2, Stree 2, and More

Jio Studios has unveiled its expansive lineup of new movies and web series, marking the single largest slate ever produced by an Indian studio. While the production company notes over 100 fresh projects in its lineup, it has only teased 62 for now, spanning several languages and genres, and starring the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, R Madhavan, Kriti Sanon, Shraddha Kapoor, Randeep Hooda, and more. None of them has any release details for now, but they will be spread evenly across theatres and direct-to-app (OTT). Jio Studios also dropped a sizzle reel for its upcoming movies and shows, with all content expected to eventually land on the JioCinema app.

“We are in the most exciting and eventful phase of Indian entertainment, with storytelling taking centre stage in an era of explosive digital disruption,” Jyoti Deshpande, President, RIL Media and Content Business said in a prepared statement. “We have actively partnered with some of the best names in the business and newcomers alike to reach this day, when a staggering and exciting 100 content assets have been produced, ready to be showcased to the world. Our vision is to power stories that are from, by and for India and Bharat, tell stories that not only entertain but also have a purpose, partner with storytellers in every Indian language and take these stories mainstream.”

Leading the lineup is Rajkumar Hirani’s (3 Idiots) Dunki, which is reportedly based on the concept of donkey flights — a method used by Indian immigrants to illegally move to foreign countries. The film is slated to release this year and stars Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee Pannu in the lead roles. It also marks the first collaboration between Khan and Hirani, the latter of whom is known to incorporate dark comedy in his films. Meanwhile, Shahid Kapoor (Farzi) has two films lined up from Jio Studios.

Up first is Bloody Daddy, an Indian adaptation of the 2011 French film Nuit Blanche — or Sleepless Night — where a police detective gets off on the wrong foot with a drug dealer, causing his son to get held as a hostage. The film will reportedly release on Jio Cinema. Then there’s an untitled romance film with Kriti Sanon, brief glimpses of which can be seen in the sizzle reel.

Dinesh Vijan’s absurd horror-comedy universe is being expanded with sequels for both Stree and Bhediya, bringing back the original cast members. 2022’s Bhediya saw Varun Dhawan as a werewolf looking to navigate his newfound powers while trying not to devour his close friends. The film’s mid-credits scene tied into 2018’s Stree, which followed Shraddha Kapoor as a witch who hunts unsuspecting men at night. We’ve also got the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Section 84, Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan-led Zara Bachke, and Hisaab Barabar, in which R Madhavan appears to be playing a lawyer.

Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan to Rendield, 10 biggest Movies Releasing in April

Randeep Hooda in a still from Inspector Avinash
Photo Credit: Jio Studios

Nana Patekar makes his OTT debut with Laal Batti, a political thriller helmed by Prakash Jha (Gangaajal), whereas Randeep Hooda appears in Inspector Avinash, which charts the real-life super cop Avinash Mishra’s struggles against the rise of crime in 1997 Uttar Pradesh. Even Indian rapper Raftaar is making his debut in a streaming series with Bajao, which seems to be a unique blend of hip-hop culture and street crime, set against the backdrop of disco lights at a club.

Jio Studios is set to dominate in the regional space as well, offering movies and TV series in multiple languages including Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Bhojpuri, and what the press release calls ‘South’. It also announced a multi-year collaboration with SVF Entertainment to create a ‘new era of blockbusters’ in Bengali cinema.

Jio Studios upcoming movies

Dunki — from Rajkumar Hirani, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee Pannu
Bloody Daddy — starring Shahid Kapoor
Untitled Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon film
Bhediya 2 — starring Varun Dhawan
Stree 2 — starring Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao
Section 84 — from Ribhu Dasgupta, starring Amitabh Bachchan
Hisaab Barabar — starring R Madhavan and Kirti Kulhari
Zara Hatke Zara Bachke — Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan
BlackOut — starring Vikrant Massey
Mumbaikar — starring Vijay Sethupathi
The Storyteller — starring Paresh Rawal & Adil Hussain
Dhoom Dhaam — starring Yami Gautam and Pratik Gandhi
Empire — from Vijay Lalwani, starring Taapsee Pannu
Trial Period — starring Genelia D’Souza
Bhagwat: Chapter One: Raakshas — starring Arshad Warsi
One Friday Night — from Manish Gupta, starring Milind Soman and Raveena Tandon
Blind
Baramulla
Mrs.
Sumo Didi — starring Shriyam Bhagnani
Happily Ever After
Rumi Ki Sharafat
The Film That Never Was
I Love You
Sarvgunn Sampann — from Dinesh Vijan, starring Vaani Kapoor
Kacchey Limbu — from Shubham Yogi, starring Radhika Madan
Khwaabon ka Jhamela
Pooja Meri Jaan — from Navjot Gulati, starring Mrunal Thakur and Huma Qureshi
Sector 36 — from Dinesh Vijan, starring Vikrant Massey and Deepak Dobriyal
Ghamasaan — starring Arshad Warsi
Boo — starring Manjima Mohan and Nivetha Pethuaraj
Kun Faya Kun — from Kushan Nandy, starring Harshvardhan Rane and Sanjeeda Shaikh
Aachari Baa
Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani
Ikroop — from Ali Abbas Zafar
Jo Tera Hai Woh Mera Hai
Ishq-e-Nadaan
Four Blind Men (Marathi)
1234 (Marathi)
Kharvas (Marathi)
Kaata Kirrr (Marathi)
Khashaba (Marathi)
Baipan Bhari Deva (Marathi)
Bachubhai (Gujarati)
Chaandlo (Gujarati)
Ghulam Chor (Gujarati)

Jio Studios 16 upcoming series

Laal Batti — from Prakash Jha, starring Nana Patekar and Sanjay Kapoor
Union: The Making of India — starring Kay Kay Menon and Ashutosh Rana
Inspector Avinash — starring Randeep Hooda and Urvashi Rautela
Rafuchakkar — starring Maniesh Paul
Bajao — starring Indian rapper Raftaar
The Magic of Shiri — starring Divyanka Tripathi
Doctors — starring Sharad Kelkar
A Legal Affair — starring Barkha Singh and Angad Bedi
Ishq Next Door — starring Abhay Mahajan and Natasha Bharadwaj
Do Gubbare — starring Mohan Agashe and Siddharth Shaw
Hajamat — Sanjay Mishra and Anshumaan Pushka
Moonwalk
UP65 — starring Rishabh Jaiswal and Satyam Tiwari
Kaalsutra (Marathi)
Eka Kaleche Mani (Marathi)
Aga Aai Aho Aai (Marathi)

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JioCinema Sees Record 1.47 Billion Digital Views, 50 Million App Downloads on Opening Weekend

The broadcasting joint venture of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries said on Monday its JioCinema app saw a record 1.47 billion digital video views on the opening weekend of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament, as well as 50 million mobile app downloads.

The number of video viewers for the IPL weekend eclipsed what was recorded across the entire last season of IPL on digital, said Viacom18, which is part of Network18 – the media unit owned by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance.

Viacom18 won digital streaming rights from 2023 to 2027, for 237.58 billion Indian rupees ($2.89 billion), which Disney previously held.

On the other hand, Disney-owned Star India which is the official TV broadcaster of the IPL, the world’s richest cricket league, said it saw a total of 8.7 billion minutes of consumption on television for the opening match on Friday between defending champions Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings.

A peak attendance of 16 million viewers was recorded on JioCinema during the match, Viacom18 said.

The landscape for content consumption has increasingly moved “to digital and JioCinema performance this week is the biggest evidence of it,” Viacom18 Sports Chief Executive Officer Anil Jayaraj said in a statement.

Disney Star said in a separate statement that it was witnessing “continuing dominance” of linear Television as the preferred platform for uninterrupted viewing of live cricket.

The comments indicate heated rivalry between Reliance and Disney, which are aiming for a major slice of advertisement revenue at a time when channels are seeing increased spending to push viewership, with advertisers cutting back on spending due to an inflationary environment.

© Thomson Reuters 2023
 

Smartphone companies have launched many compelling devices over the first quarter of 2023. What are some of the best phones launched in 2023 you can buy today? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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