India flags cricket rights concerns with Disney-Reliance $8.5 bln merger

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Deals

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. 

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



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