Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Disney merger will see Hotstar and JioCinema becoming a unified platform for content. This is a move that would be much appreciated by the users. JioCinema is a great platform in terms of content availability, but the UI/UX and the overall experience of interacting with the mobile app are just not at par with other OTT (over-the-top) platforms. As per Reuters, all the cricket matches streaming rights that JioCinema currently has will be shifted to the new unified platform.
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No one would disagree with the fact that Hotstar's UI is much better. Reliance and Disney's $8.5 billion merger deal was announced earlier this year. It will create the largest media entity in the country. One of the best things that would happen is that HBO content would make its way back to the Hotstar platform.
Along with that, IPL, India's domestic cricket matches, and ICC tournaments will finally be under a single platform. But what will the subscription prices look like? Will it be as low as what it is now with JioCinema? Well, that's something we will have to look for.
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The move to bring all of the content under a single platform will definitely create a big stir in the market. It will make the platform a preferred choice for businesses to push ads. Hotstar has been one of the best platforms for businesses to serve ads due to the efficiency and quality of streaming. Reliance and Disney got the clearance for a merger from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in August.
By January, the move to make a unified platform should be completed. There's no clarity on whether there will be a rebranding of the platform, as in whether the name and the logo will change. However, one thing is for sure, we may not see JioCinema as a standalone platform for a long time from here.
