Viacom 18 news

Disney Star* has retained the TV rights in the subcontinent for INR 23,575 crore (US$ 3 billion approx.), while Viacom 18 secured the digital rights in the same region and media rights (both TV and digital) across three global regions - Australia + New Zealand, the UK and South Africa - for INR 23,758 crore (US$ 3 billion approx). Media rights for two other global regions - the Middle East (INR 205 crore/US$ 26.27 million approx.) and the USA (INR 258 crore/US$ 33.06 million approx.) - go to Times Internet. Broken down further, Disney Star will pay INR 57.5 crore (US$ 7.36 million approx.) per match, while Viacom 18, who won the subcontinental digital rights for all matches at Rs 50 crore (US$ 6.40 million approx.) a match, and then committed another INR 33.24 crore (US$ 4.26 million approx.) per match for a non-exclusive package of high-profile games (ranging between 18 and 22 matches), will effectively end up paying just over INR 58 crore (US$ 7.43 million approx.) per match. Throw in the global numbers, and the IPL is now behind only the NFL in per-match value. The overall deal for the 2023-27 cycle is 2.96 times or 196% higher than the previous IPL rights deal (2018-22) of INR 16,347.5 crore (at the time US$ 2.55 billion approx). The previous cycle comprised 60 matches per season for five years. For the new five-year cycle the IPL has listed a varying number of matches per season ranging from 74 games each in 2023 and '24, 84 matches each in 2025 and '26, and a maximum...

The company further announced that with the completion of the deal, Viacom18 has access to Rs 15,145 crore of cash for its planned growth, comprising Rs 10,839 crore contributed by RIL group entities and Rs 4,306 crore contributed by Bodhi Tree Systems. Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar, is an investor in Bodhi Tree Systems.

Hollywood studio Paramount Pictures continues its flop run in India with Viacom18 with their latest release, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts”. Transformers 7 marks Paramount and Viacom’s 7th consecutive non-hit in India, while five of them are either flops or disasters (with one exception). Transformers: Rise of the Beasts had an early release in India on Thursday—a trend that most of the Hollywood biggies are wearing today. But as we know, not all films are the same or can have the same fate. Transformers 7 has collected approximately 20 crore nett in India, which is an underwhelming total for a big film like this. The weekdays are showing a heavy drop in numbers, which has sealed the film’s fate. Before Transformers 7, Paramount India and Viacom18 18 had delivered disasters like Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023), Scream VI (2023), Sonic 2 (2022), The Lost City (2022), Scream (2022), and a below-average grosser, Top Gun: Maverick (2022).

Viacom18, a controlled subsidiary of TV18, is now the owner of the JioCinema OTT platform and has over Rs 15,000 crore in its kitty to disrupt the market with. What’s more, it has a new, seasoned, team at the top, Uday Shankar (former President Walt Disney, APAC) and James Murdoch (former CEO, Century Fox), which can help it do just that. The access to Paramount’s library also continues as the former ViacomCBS remains a stakeholder in the new entity. This is all good news, but much of this was expected after April 27 last year when the deal was announced. What has changed is more significant. As per the deal announced last year, Bodhi Tree Systems (a platform of Murdoch and Shankar with Qatar Investment Authority as an investor) was to bring in Rs 13,500 crore and Reliance another Rs 1,645 crore to total up to a sum of Rs 15,145 crore ($2 billion). That’s changed. Reliance will now bring in the bulk, with a contribution of Rs 10,839 crore, while Bodhi Tree Systems will infuse Rs 4,306 crore. That’s the big question. The shift suggests that Reliance is loathe to dilute its stake in Viacom18 in a rush. And the recent strong showing by JioCinema could be behind this. Not just has the OTT app bagged rights for marquee events like FIFA World Cup and the IPL, but its traction has been remarkable.

• Share this article on Facebook • Share this article on Twitter • Share this article on Flipboard • Share this article on Email • Show additional share options • Share this article on Linkedin • Share this article on Pinit • Share this article on Reddit • Share this article on Tumblr • Share this article on Whatsapp • Share this article on Print • Share this article on Comment On June 13, The Walt Disney Company passed on the opportunity to renew its streaming rights to Indian Premier League cricket. Investors and analysts largely cheered that decision, deeming the rights to the most popular sport in the world’s second-most populous nation, which ultimately sold at auction for over $3 billion for a period of five years, simply too pricey given the relatively low revenues per user in the Indian marketplace. But as Disney let the cricket rights go, a formidable new competitor stepped in to snap them up — Viacom18, a joint venture entertainment firm formed between Reliance Industries, operator of India’s largest telecom company, Jio; Paramount Global; and Bodhi Tree Systems, an investment vehicle backed by media industry veterans As Michael Nathanson, analyst at MoffettNathanson, wrote in a post-auction note: “The Indian landscape has indeed become much more competitive than ever before with the creation of a new streaming giant that has the means and assets to become a great disruptive force in Indian media.” Viacom18 operates a suite of 38 TV channels in India, produces an...

First run shows on offer to Indian viewers will include Young Rock, thriller The Lazarus Project; and dark romantic comedy The Lovers. Indian audiences will also be offered Peacock Originals including Bel-Air, a reimagining of the ‘90s comedy series that starred Will Smith; Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin, a spin-off series again starring Adam Devine; and The Calling, an investigative drama series from David E. Kelley, directed and executive produced by Barry Levinson. Library titles include Downton Abbey, Suits, The Office, Parks And Recreation and The Mindy Project. Unscripted shows include The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills. The deal also includes movies such as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish and M3GAN, as well as films in the Fast, Minions, Jurassic, Bourne, Shrek, The Mummy and Pitch Perfect franchises. JioCinema, a streaming service launched by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries in 2016, was recently folded into Viacom18, a joint venture between Reliance Industries and Paramount Global, as part of a strategic partnership backed by James Murdoch and Uday Shankar’s Bodhi Tree Systems.

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This year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) too, like past editions, continued to break viewership numbers and the big difference was digital streaming being given free of cost. For the viewers, all they had to do was to download the JioCinema app on any device and the marquee cricket tournament would be live. Last year saw an intense battle being fought out to clinch the television and digital rights. For the period 2018-22, both were held by Disney Star. However, the rights for the next five-year period (2023-27) were split with Viacom18, a Reliance Industries- owned entity, winning the digital piece, while Disney Star had to settle for the television rights. Now, Viacom18 disrupted the status quo by going free on digital, through JioCinema, its OTT platform. In an interaction with Business Today, Anil Jayaraj, CEO, That clearly takes away the revenue from subscription and puts substantial pressure on advertising. “We have done well on digital advertising during this season of the IPL and believe there is still a very large opportunity. To us, the democratisation of advertisers is a big emerging trend,” he said. The numbers projected for digital are obviously a huge source of encouragement. According to FICCI-EY’s report on the media and entertainment sector put out this April, revenue from digital media for this year is estimated to be Rs 67,100 crore, compared to Rs 57,100 crore last year. The projection for 2025 is Rs 86,200 crore or a compounded annual growth (between 20...

"We are bullish on the FMCG sector over the long term because of rising disposable income due to the structural story intact on India’s multi-decadal growth," Anil Rego of Right Horizons says in an interview with Moneycontrol. The improvement in the standard of living, changing preferences, and easier accessibility are all key drivers, he believes. He expects double-digit sales growth for most players in FY24 along with better margins in the paints segment. The founder and fund manager at Right Horizons, a pioneer in the contrarian style of investing and a seasoned investor for over three decades is also bullish on the IT sector from a three years time frame driven by attractive valuations & strong earnings growth, and a demanding environment. Q: Your take on the consumer staples and discretionary segments? We expect most companies in the consumer space to improve with raw material prices corrected, input costs deflated, and margins to improve pre-pandemic levels. In the fourth quarter of FY23, paint and adhesives witnessed a strong revival in demand, with most players posting growth in volumes and expansion in margins due to lower raw material prices, favourable product mix and price hikes. We expect double-digit sales growth for most players in FY24 along with better margins in the paints segment. We are bullish on the FMCG sector over the long term because of rising disposable income due to the structural story intact on India’s multi-decadal growth. The improvement...

This year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) too, like past editions, continued to break viewership numbers and the big difference was digital streaming being given free of cost. For the viewers, all they had to do was to download the JioCinema app on any device and the marquee cricket tournament would be live. Last year saw an intense battle being fought out to clinch the television and digital rights. For the period 2018-22, both were held by Disney Star. However, the rights for the next five-year period (2023-27) were split with Viacom18, a Reliance Industries- owned entity, winning the digital piece, while Disney Star had to settle for the television rights. Now, Viacom18 disrupted the status quo by going free on digital, through JioCinema, its OTT platform. In an interaction with Business Today, Anil Jayaraj, CEO, That clearly takes away the revenue from subscription and puts substantial pressure on advertising. “We have done well on digital advertising during this season of the IPL and believe there is still a very large opportunity. To us, the democratisation of advertisers is a big emerging trend,” he said. The numbers projected for digital are obviously a huge source of encouragement. According to FICCI-EY’s report on the media and entertainment sector put out this April, revenue from digital media for this year is estimated to be Rs 67,100 crore, compared to Rs 57,100 crore last year. The projection for 2025 is Rs 86,200 crore or a compounded annual growth (between 20...