Reuters exclusively reported that India’s antitrust body has reached an initial assessment that the $8.5 billion India merger of Reliance and Walt Disney media assets harms competition due to their power over cricket broadcast rights. It is the biggest setback so far to the planned Disney-Reliance merger, which aims to create India’s biggest entertainment player with a combined 120 TV channels and two streaming services.
Deals
India flags cricket rights concerns with Disney-Reliance $8.5 bln merger
20 August 2024, 8:36 pm 1 minute
Market Impact
The merged company, which would be majority owned by Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance, would have lucrative rights worth billions of dollars for the broadcast of cricket on TV and streaming platforms, raising fears over pricing power and its grip over advertisers.
Article Tags
Topics of Interest: Deals
Type: Reuters Best
Sectors: Business & FinanceMergers & Acquisition
Regions: Asia
Countries: India
Win Types: Exclusivity
Story Types: Exclusive / Scoop
Media Types: Text
Customer Impact: Significant National Story
