Reliance Industries and Walt Disney have completed the massive $8.5 billion merger of their Indian media assets. They have also created India’s biggest entertainment player.
While this brings together major platforms like JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar under one umbrella, there’s no clear sign that the two streaming services will merge into one app.
Before the merger, there was speculation about a new platform called “JioHotstar.”
However, the official announcement only talks about the combination of their resources. It also states that JioCinema and Hotstar will continue to offer content separately. For now, this means viewers will still use two different apps.
This decision makes sense. JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar cater to different audiences. The primary audience of Hotstar has actually shifted to JioCinema but thanks to the content of Disney+Hotstar, it still has a very massive presence in the industry.
Merging apps is also a technically challenging and time-consuming process. By running independently, both platforms can continue growing without disrupting their existing user bases.
But who knows?
This can be a temporary step and the joint venture may merge them in future. But, as of now Disney+Hotstar and JioCinema are not merged and they are operating independently.
Stay tuned to Binged for more accurate information and progress on the same.