CCI approved seven media sector M&A deals in India

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved seven mergers and acquisitions in the media and entertainment sector over the past five years. This information was shared by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, B L Murugan, during a session in the Lok Sabha. Some significant deals include the Disney-Reliance media merger valued at $8.5 billion, Comcast's investment in Viacom18, and Tata Sons increasing its stake in Tata Play. The CCI focuses on maintaining competition in the market while approving these deals. The Disney-Reliance merger, which combines Star India and Viacom18 assets, was finalized on November 14. The new entity, named JioStar, is controlled by Reliance Industries (RIL) with a 56% stake. Disney retains 37%, while Bodhi Tree Systems holds the remaining 7%. Viacom18 also received a large cash infusion of ₹15,145 crore through strategic moves involving RIL and Bodhi Tree Systems. RIL invested ₹10,839 crore, while Bodhi Tree Systems contributed ₹4,306 crore. In the direct-to-home (DTH) market, Tata Sons acquired an additional 10% stake in Tata Play for $100 million. This raised Tata Sons' ownership to 70%, with Walt Disney holding the other 30%. Additionally, Bharti Airtel gained a 20% stake in Bharti Telemedia from Warburg Pincus in 2021. This deal allowed Airtel to take full control of Bharti Telemedia, which was valued at ₹15,630 crore. Murugan also mentioned that 109 private satellite TV channels have been transferred over the last five years under the Television Channel Guidelines. He emphasized the importance of following established content regulations across various media to ensure standards and compliance.