Disney Hotstar head Sajith Sivanandan quits after India merger with Reliance: Report

Disney's Hotstar India head resigns post-merger with Reliance, sparking speculation on JioCinema's future in streaming market.

The head of U.S. giant Disney's Hotstar streaming app in India, Sajith Sivanandan, has resigned, three sources said on Thursday (October 24, 2024), as business integration gathers pace after the company's $8.5 billion merger with Reliance's India media assets.

The resignation comes days after an internal decision for all live sporting events of the merged entity, including the popular Indian Premier League (IPL), to be streamed on Disney's Hotstar app, and not Reliance's JioCinema.

That was the first major step in integration after the deal to create India's biggest entertainment company.

However, the leadership has yet to decide if JioCinema will continue as a separate app, said two of the sources, who all spoke on condition of anonymity, as the discussions are private.

Mr. Sivanandan, Disney and Reliance did not respond to queries from Reuters.

After the merger, Disney and Reliance will together have more than 100 TV channels and two streaming apps, and will compete with Sony, Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Mr. Sivanandan worked at Hotstar for more than two years after working at Google for 15 years.