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Disney Star is a major international media and entertainment subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, focused on South Asian markets and global streaming general entertainment content. It originated from Star TV founded in 1991, went through ownership changes including under News Corporation and 21st Century Fox before being acquired by Disney in 2019, and later partnered with Reliance Industries in 2024.
Key moments
1991-08-26Original Star TV founded in Hong Kong
2019-03-20Acquired by Disney as part of 21st Century Fox purchase
2020-08-05Disney announces Star brand for international streaming outside US
2024Partnership with Reliance Industries for Disney Star operations
Disney Star competes in several key media segments:
South Asian broadcast and streaming: Competes with Reliance's JioCinema, Zee Entertainment, and Sony Pictures Networks India
Streaming content: Goes head-to-head with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video in regional South Asian markets
Local film production: Rivalry with Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions for Hindi and regional South Asian film distribution
Its key advantages include Disney's global content library, existing large subscriber base via Disney+ Hotstar, and integrated film and TV production capabilities.
South Asian broadcast/streaming: Rival with JioCinema, Zee, Sony Networks India
Global streaming: Competes with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video in regional markets
Local film: Rival with Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions for South Asian content
Disney Star is a leading media and entertainment brand focused on high-growth South Asian markets, backed by the global brand power of The Walt Disney Company. Born from the pioneering Star TV satellite network launched in the region over three decades ago, the brand has evolved through ownership transitions to become a fully integrated player spanning linear broadcasting, subscription streaming, and local content production. Its unique positioning combines Disney’s global portfolio of blockbuster IP with deep local content expertise, giving it a distinct edge over purely local competitors and purely global streaming platforms operating in the region.
The brand’s equity is built on decades of trust with South Asian audiences, and it has successfully adapted to shifting consumer trends, transitioning from a traditional broadcast-focused model to a hybrid linear-streaming operation that caters to growing on-demand consumption. It commands a large existing subscriber base through its Disney+ Hotstar streaming service, and maintains strong relationships with advertisers and content partners across key South Asian markets. The 2024 strategic partnership with Reliance Industries has opened new opportunities to expand distribution and scale operations, further strengthening its competitive position.
Against a backdrop of intense competition in India and surrounding South Asian markets, Disney Star has retained its status as one of the most recognized media brands in the region. It balances global brand standards with localization, producing content in dozens of regional languages to serve diverse audience segments, from large metropolitan centers to fast-growing tier-2 and tier-3 markets.
Brand leadership
Score: 82/100
Disney Star holds a top-tier leadership position in South Asian media, with a leading share of the subscription streaming market and a strong foothold in linear television broadcasting. It leads key segments like live sports broadcasting and general entertainment, outperforming many competitors in audience reach and engagement across the region.
Customer interaction
Score: 78/100
Disney Star maintains high levels of ongoing interaction with its audiences across social media, streaming platforms, and live events. It regularly engages viewers through promotions for original content, interactive viewing features for live sports, and content tailored to regional audience preferences, fostering strong brand connection.
Growth momentum
Score: 75/100
Following its 2024 strategic partnership with Reliance Industries, Disney Star is positioned for accelerated growth in the Indian market, combining its content strength with Reliance’s extensive digital distribution infrastructure. It continues to expand its regional language content library to capture growing audiences in underpenetrated markets, supporting steady subscriber growth.
Brand stability
Score: 85/100
Backed by the global resources and strong reputation of The Walt Disney Company, Disney Star benefits from high financial and operational stability. It has maintained consistent market presence through multiple ownership transitions over three decades, building long-term trust with audiences, advertisers, and industry partners.
Brand age
Score: 70/100
Originally founded as Star TV in 1991, the brand has over 35 years of continuous operation in South Asian media markets. Its long-standing presence has allowed it to build deep familiarity with multiple generations of viewers, contributing positively to its overall brand equity.
Industry profile
Score: 80/100
As an integrated media leader, Disney Star is a key influencer in the South Asian media industry, shaping trends in content production, distribution models, and advertising strategy. Its strategic moves are closely watched by competitors and stakeholders, driving evolution in the regional media landscape.
Globalization
Score: 72/100
While Disney Star’s core focus is South Asian markets, it leverages Disney’s global infrastructure to distribute South Asian content to audiences worldwide, and brings Disney’s global content library to regional viewers. It benefits from cross-brand integration with Disney’s global network, enhancing its global footprint beyond its core regional focus.
AI-driven analysis can support structured reasoning around Disney Star's brand value based on public market position and performance data. Any brand value figures derived from this analysis are illustrative, not independently audited. For a fully verified, audited brand value assessment for Disney Star, contact the World Brand Lab.
Li Ka-shing (1990–1995)
Star TV (1995–2013)
21st Century Fox (2013–2019)
Disney India (2019–2024)
(2024– Present)
Viacom18 (46.82%)
Disney India (36.84%)
RIL (16.34%)
divisions
Star Studio18
Star Sports
JioHotstar
Owned TV channels
website
jiostar.com
Disney Star, now JioStar India Private Limited (and formerly Star India), is an Indian media conglomeratejoint venture between Disney India, Reliance Industries and the latter's subsidiary Viacom18.[1] On 14 November 2024, Viacom18 merged its assets with Disney India's subsidiary Disney Star to form JioStar.The deal, valued at $8.5 billion, involved the investment of inr 110000000000 by Reliance Industries, which left Reliance Industries with a total stake of 63.16%, 16.34% directly and 46.82 percent through Viacom18, with Disney India controlling the remaining 36.84%.[2] It is the largest television and entertainment network in India, operating more than 100 TV channels and a major streaming platform called JioHotstar.
History
Founding and early years (1990–2000)
Star TV (Satellite Television Asian Region) was founded in 1990 as a joint venture between Hutchison Whampoa and Li Ka-shing.It launched Hollywood English-language entertainment channels for Asian audiences and in India as Star India.[3] Its first five channels included Star Plus (then an English-languageentertainment channel), Star Chinese Channel, Prime Sports, MTV Asia (now Channel V) and BBC World Service Television (now simply BBC News).[3]
In 1992, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation purchased 63.6% of Star India for $525 million, followed by the purchase of the remaining 36.4% on 1 January 1993.Star broadcasting operations were run from Rupert Murdoch's Fox Broadcasting premises.[4][5] It later launched Star Movies, Channel V, and Star News with a limited Hindi offering, and then Star Plus for Indian viewers.[6][7][8][9]
2001–2017
In 2001, Star India acquired South India based Vijay TV, renaming it Star Vijay.[10] In 2003, Star India's Star News deal with NDTV ended. In the same year, the Indian government introduced a guideline limiting foreign equity in the national news business to 26%. At that time Star India was wholly owned by Hong Kong-based company Satellite Television Asia Region Ltd. As a result, Star India entered into a joint venture with the Anandabazar Patrika group (ABP) to form a new company, Media Content and Communications Services Pvt. Ltd. (MCCS), which took control of Star News' operations. ABP held a 74% majority stake, while Star India reduced its participation with the remaining 26% to comply with the regulations set for the uplinking of news and current affairs channels by the government of India. Star India, subsequently exited from this joint venture in 2012. After the split, the channel was renamed ABP News and operated by the Anandabazar Patrika Group.[9]
In 2004, Star One was launched as a Hindi youth-oriented channel.[11]
2018–2022
In 2018, Star India renewed its BCCI rights through March 2023, in a contract valued at inr .[30]
On 13 December 2018, Disney announced Uday Shankar who served as chairman of Star India would lead Disney's Asian operations and would become the new chairman of Disney India, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.[31] On 27 August 2018, the channel Star Life was launched in Africa in English language offering the English dubbed Indian Hindi series from the Indian star channels.[32][33]
On 4 January 2019, Star TV shut down its television operations in USA for the promotion of its digital counterpart, Hotstar.[34]
On 20 March 2019, Star India became a subsidiary of
Merger with Viacom18 (2023–2024)
In July 2023, The Walt Disney Company began exploring strategic options, including a sale or formation of a joint venture, for their businesses in India.[48] Between September and October 2023, the company held preliminary talks with Reliance Industries, billionaire Gautam Adani and Kalanithi Maran, owner of the Sun Group, for a potential sale of its streaming and linear television assets.[49][50] In late October 2023, it was reported that Disney was nearing a cash and stock deal with Reliance Industries for the sale of its operations in India, including a controlling stake in Disney Star.The assets Reliance would acquire are reportedly valued at around $7–8 billion and a transaction was to be announced as early as November.[51] Although Disney CEO Bob Iger refuted claims of a sale during a third-quarter earnings call, it was announced in December 2023 that Disney and Reliance had signed a non-binding term sheet for a merger.
Post merger (2025–present)
On 14 February 2025 JioStar combined the streaming services JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar to launch JioHotstar.[63]
On 6 August 2025 it was reported that JioStar has acquired the exclusive broadcast and streaming rights for the US Open Tennis Championships for the next five years.[64]
In 2009, Star India acquired Kerala-based media conglomerate Asianet Communications, which served Malayalam language content.[14] In August 2009, the Star Group restructured its Asian broadcast businesses into three units – Star India, Star China Media, and Fox International Channels Asia.[14]
In the same year, Star Affiliate and CJ Group of South Korea launched CJ Alive (later known as Shop CJ), a 24-hour Indian television shopping channel that used Star Utsav for hosting the television marketing programs in six-hour slots in its initial stage of launch.Star Affiliate exited the joint venture in May 2014.[15]
News Corporation launched a film production and distribution business in India through Fox Star Studios, an affiliate of Star India in the same year.[16]
In April 2012, Star India won the rights to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) through 2018, replacing Nimbus Communications.Valued at inr 38510000000, the agreement included rights to India national cricket team home matches on television and mobile streaming, as well as domestic tournaments such as the Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup.[17]
On 6 November 2013, Star India rebranded its Star Sports channels, renaming the main Star Sports channel to Star Sports 1, Star Cricket to Hindi-language Star Sports 3, ESPN to Tamil-language Star Sports 4, and Star Cricket HD and ESPN HD to Star Sports HD1 and HD2.[18][19]
In February 2015, Star India launched its streaming service, Hotstar, a mobile and online entertainment OTT platform that features content in 9 Indian languages and broadcasts sporting events.[20][21][22] Star also acquired the broadcast businesses of Maa TV to boost its presence in Telugu-speaking markets, renaming it Star Maa.[23]
In February 2017, Star India and global media conglomerate TED announced a new TV series, TED Talks India – Nayi Soch.The programme starred Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and featured newer TED talks made in Hindi language.The programme followed the signature TED format of prominent speakers voicing their opinions in an 18-minute or less monologue in front of a live audience.[24][25]
On 28 August 2017, Star India rebranded its Hindi entertainment channel Life OK to Star Bharat.[26]
On 5 September 2017, Star India won the global media rights to broadcast the Indian Premier League (IPL) under a five-year deal beginning in the 2018 tournament, and valued at inr 163475000000.Beating previous rightsholder Sony, the contract included domestic rights for Star Sports, and digital rights for Hotstar.[27]
after the US$71.3 billion deal in the acquisition of former parent company 21st Century Fox was closed.
Disney India now owned television channels of both its extant subsidiary UTV Software Communications and Star India.[35][36]
In April 2020, the Walt Disney Company merged Hotstar with Disney+ in India to form Disney+ Hotstar with Hotstar operating independently and coexisting with Disney+ in Canada and US,[37] since it launched on 4 September 2017; the United Kingdom on 13 September 2018;[38] and Singapore on 4 November 2020, prior to the launch of Disney+ in the country.[39]
On 30 December 2020, Disney announced that the Star branding would be replaced with Utsav from 1 February in the Netherlands,[40] with the Utsav Gold, Utsav Plus and Utsav Bharat branding launching in the UK on 22 January 2021. Star Vijay's international feed also changed a new logo based with Utsav Network in yellow colour and rebranded as Vijay TV around the world on that same day. Utsav Network separated into Star Gold, Plus and Bharat also launched in South Korea.[41]
On 31 August 2021, Disney announced that it would phase out Hotstar in the US and move all content into Hulu and ESPN+.Initially, it was announced that the service would shut down in the US by late 2022,[42] until it got moved to an earlier date on 30 November 2021.[43]
On 18 October 2021, Disney and Star announced that they would exit from the English general entertainment industry and that they would close down Star World and Star World Premiere in India originally planned by 30 November 2021 (although the Star Movies channels, alongside Disney International HD would not be affected). The Bangla and Marathi feeds of Star Sports 1 also closed on the same day. Meanwhile, the Star Gold brand expanded with the launch of an HD simulcast of Star Gold 2 that replaced UTV HD, alongside the rebranding of UTV Movies and UTV Action as Star Gold Romance and Star Gold Thrills.Star Movies Select HD, Star Movies Hindi, and Star Movies Tamil were also to be launched as SD simulcasts of Star Movies, becoming the first niche premium English movie channel in India to do so.[44] However, a delay in TRAI's new tariff order, followed by protests from digital cable operators and multi-system operators, caused the plans to be postponed till mid-March 2023.[45]
On 14 April 2022, Disney India rebranded Star India to Disney Star.[46] On 27 May 2022, Fox Star Studios was renamed just Star Studios, as part of the removal of the "Fox" name from the studios that had been acquired from 21st Century Fox by Disney.[47]
According to its terms, Reliance would hold 51% of the merged company in cash and stock, while Disney would own the remaining 49%.
For purposes of the merger, a subsidiary of Viacom18 (itself a subsidiary of Reliance) was created to absorb Disney Star through a stock swap,[52] pending ratification and regulatory approval.[53][54][55][56]
In February 2024, Disney and Reliance reached a deal to merge their streaming and television assets, with the joint venture valued at $8.5 billion including synergies. As part of the deal, Viacom18 would be merged into Disney Star with Disney holding a 36.84% stake in the combined entity, which would bring together assets such as linear television entertainment channels Star Plus, Colors TV and the Star Gold Network, sports channels Star Sports and Sports18 and the streaming services JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar with Nita Ambani serving as the chairperson of the joint venture, with Uday Shankar serving as vice chairperson with the deal giving 16.34% to Reliance and 46.82% to Viacom18, with the deal being expected to close sometime in late 2024 or early 2025 pending regulatory approval.[52][57][58]
In March 2024, it was reported that Paramount Global was looking to sell its remaining 13.01% stake in Viacom18 to Reliance, which already owned a 73.91% share via TV18.[59] Although Bloomberg News reported that the deal was unlikely to close, the deal was confirmed a week later for $517 million, its closure subject to regulatory approval and the completion of the joint venture between Viacom18 and Disney.Paramount would, however, continue to license its content to the company.[60]
In August 2024, the National Company Law Tribunal approved a deal between Disney and Reliance Industries where JioCinema and Viacom18 would be merged into Digital18.[61] In November 2024, Disney and Reliance Industries agreed to merge Star India and Viacom18.The deal was reported to be valued at $8.5 billion.[62] As a result, Disney Star rebranded as JioStar.
globalmediajournal.com, 2006, retrieved 1 September 2021
