Hotstar Unveils Web Series on RBI After Reliance's Acquisition

After a year of negotiation and execution, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries has completed a significant merger between Viacom18 and Disney Star India. A strategic move in the media landscape, this merger expands Reliance's reach with two OTT platforms, a network of 120 television channels, and an audience base of 750 million viewers. A pivotal development following the merger is the production of a web series chronicling the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) 90-year history. This project, which beat competition from major OTT platforms, marks a grand ambition to depict the evolving role of India's central bank. The series will be comprised of five episodes, each with a run-time of approximately 25 to 30 minutes, and discussions are ongoing about its distribution across multiple platforms, including Hotstar's OTT services, other channels, or national television like Doordarshan. Financially, Star India has secured a contract worth Rs 6.5 crore for producing the series. Furthermore, in a notable internal shift, Nita Ambani has been appointed to lead the newly merged media entity, bringing her leadership experience from various Reliance ventures. The company has structured itself with three CEOs to handle different facets of the organisation: Kevin Vaz on entertainment, Kiran Mani on digital, and Sanjog Gupta on sports, with Uday Shankar acting as vice-chairman. Reliance holds a majority stake of 63.16% in the venture, with Disney maintaining a 36.84% share, projecting a substantial annual revenue target of Rs 26,000 crore. This strategic move positions the new media powerhouse to rival giants like Sony, Netflix, and Amazon in the competitive OTT space.