Ahead of the anticipated merger of Disney Star and Reliance Jio’s Viacom18 , a new website called “JioStar” has been launched.
The website is already live, but only displays a “Coming Soon” banner when opened. This indicates that JioStar will be the finalized name for the new platform.
Once fully functional, the new website is expected to combine the content from both OTT platforms, which would be accessible under their own sub-domains. Earlier this year, JioCinema considerably expanded its range of content, adding epic shows like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon and Succession to enhance its viewership.
There will also reportedly be no changes to Disney+Hotstar’s original content. If a big title is into its later seasons, such as Criminal Justice, it will continue.
Initially, there was speculation that the “JioHotstar” domain would host the new, merged OTT platform. Dubai-based siblings, Jainam and Jivika, offered to give the domain name to “Team Reliance” for free, after acquiring it from a Delhi-based app developer who had formerly hoped to sell it to Reliance to fund his higher education abroad.
Although a precise date has not been announced, most media reports have asserted that the “JioStar” merger is expected to be completed by November 13th. Content from both platforms will then be combined at midnight on November 14th.