I&B Ministry
MIB gives nod to RIL’s Viacom18 to transfer TV channel licences to Disney’s Star India
MUMBAI: The creation of a media monolith in India got another tick mark over the weekend.
Oil to telecom to retail giant the Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries Ltd and its broadcast subsidiary TV18 Broadcast Ltd informed the Bombay stock exchange that the ministry of information & broadcasting (MIB) has given its offshoot Viacom18 Media the go-ahead to transfer its non-news and current affairs TV channel licences to the Walt Disney owned Star India.
The ministry issued the clearance on 27 September, stating that it is subject to complying of conditions laid down by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
RIL and the mouse house had on 28 February announced that the two giants were “setting up a strategic joint venture to bring together the most compelling and engaging brands in India.”
The transaction had valued the joint venture at Rs 70,352 crore, with RIL pumping Rs 11,500 crore into it.
The two had also agreed to merge Viacom 18 Media’s assets with Star India with the transfer and vesting of the Media Operations Undertaking from Viacom 18 and Jio Cinema into Digital 18, a subsidiary of Viacom 18.
RIL owns a clutch of channels including the Colors and Sports 18 brands through Viacom18 as well as the OTT platform JioCinema whereas Star operates market leader Star Plus, several regional language channels and the OTT service Hotstar.
Under the finalised deal, RIL and its affiliates will hold a 63.16 per cent stake in the newly formed entity, which will manage two streaming services and 120 television channels. The Walt Disney Company will retain the remaining 36.84 per cent stake.
Permissions for the initiative got the CCI green signal, subject to certain conditions, on 28 August, while the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) gave its clearance on 30 August for the two to merge, subject to clearance for the transfer of licences by the MIB.
Post the merger, RIL director Nita Ambani will be appointed as the chair person of the new entity with Uday Shankar being the vice-chairman.
I&B Ministry
Digital radio, D2M tech set to reshape broadcasting and public messaging
Govt pushes next-gen delivery while TRAI tightens grip on spam ecosystem
NEW DELHI: India’s broadcasting and telecom landscape is undergoing a quiet but significant upgrade, with digital radio and Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) technologies emerging as powerful tools for mass communication, while regulators step up efforts to tackle spam calls.
According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, digital radio and D2M are poised to transform how content reaches audiences by making more efficient use of spectrum. In simple terms, multiple channels can now be delivered over a single frequency, opening the door to a wider range of free-to-air content.
D2M technology takes this a step further by enabling video, audio and data to be broadcast directly to mobile handsets without relying on SIM cards or mobile data. The result is a resilient and cost-effective data pipe that can deliver everything from entertainment and education to critical emergency alerts, even in low-connectivity scenarios.
At the same time, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is tightening its grip on unsolicited commercial communication, better known as spam calls. The regulator has deployed a distributed ledger technology platform to bring transparency and accountability into the system.
Through this blockchain-based setup, consumers can register their preferences on receiving promotional messages, while businesses and telemarketers must also sign up and operate within defined rules. The platform also includes a complaint mechanism that allows users to report spam, with complaints shared across telecom operators for coordinated action.
The government’s broader push is being supported by infrastructure upgrades under the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development scheme. Implemented through Prasar Bharati, the initiative focuses on modernising networks such as Akashvani and Doordarshan, including digitisation and adoption of next-generation broadcast equipment.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting minister of state for information and broadcasting L. Murugan said these steps are part of a larger effort to promote emerging technologies and strengthen the country’s broadcasting backbone. The response came to a query raised by member of Parliament Rao Rajendra Singh.
Together, these developments point to a dual-track strategy: expanding access to reliable, low-cost content while cleaning up the communication ecosystem. As digital pipes get smarter and spam filters sharper, India’s airwaves may soon feel a lot less noisy and far more useful.
