Disney India: Last News

Naman Ramachandran Indian film and television veteran Siddharth Roy Kapur points to increasingly polarized theatrical results and a period of strategic recalibration in streaming as key trends that shaped Indian entertainment in 2024, characterizing it as a “hiatus year” dominated by business-to-business developments rather than consumer-facing initiatives. “People are getting much more particular about which films they will watch in a movie theater,” says Roy Kapur, founder of Roy Kapur Films and former Disney India head in his yearly analysis of the Indian entertainment business for Variety.

Friends, Romans, Insider fans! Lend my your ears. Jesse Whittock here, back with the latest international film and TV news in the week Gladiator II released and Disney’s Indian plans came to fruition.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Disney India (previously Disney Star) is seeking $940 million of damages from Indian media conglomerate Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, it was revealed on Wednesday. The claim relates to a cricket rights deal that collapsed in January this year. After Disney won a 2022 bid for TV and digital rights to men’s and women’s cricket events conducted through the International Cricket Council, and spanning the four years 2024-2027, the television broadcast rights to ICC men’s and under-19 tournaments were quickly sub-licensed to ZEEL for a fee of $1.4 billion.

Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has revealed a series of leadership changes, affecting key positions across its entertainment channels. Nachiket Pantvaidya, a seasoned media executive with previous stints at Star TV and Balaji Telefilms, has been appointed as the business head of Sony Entertainment Television (SET). This marks Pantvaidya’s third stint with SPNI.

Naman Ramachandran As the Indian film industry reaches the midpoint of 2024, Malayalam-language cinema from the southern state of Kerala has emerged as the breakout success story, while traditional powerhouse Bollywood recalibrates after an uneven start to the year. “This year has been the year of Malayalam cinema,” says former Disney India head and veteran producer Siddharth Roy Kapur in his half-yearly analysis of the Indian entertainment business for Variety.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Paramount Global has sold its 13% ownership stake in TV and streaming company Viacom18 to Reliance Industries for $517 million. Reliance was already the majority owner of Viacom18. The pact comes two weeks after Disney and Reliance Industries announced a blockbuster $8.5 billion deal merging their massive Indian TV and streaming businesses.

Walt Disney Company and billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries have merged their massive Indian TV and streaming businesses, ending months of speculation. As per the agreement, Reliance’s Viacom18 is merging with Disney’s Star India. The deal is estimated to be worth $8.5 billion on a ‘post-money basis,’ the companies said.

Reliance Industries and Disney India are set to sign a binding agreement to merge their assets, according to local reports.

Naman Ramachandran Former Disney India head and leading producer Siddharth Roy Kapur has warned of some practices that could arise in making films for streamers. Delivering the keynote address at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival‘s Industry Connect Symposium on Monday, Kapur, who is currently basking in the success of International Emmy nominated series “Rocket Boys” for streamer SonyLIV, lauded the positives brought to the industry by the platforms but also pointed out the pitfalls.

Naman Ramachandran Former Disney India head and producer of Sony LIV hit “Rocket Boys,” Siddharth Roy Kapur has hailed the reinvigorated Indian box office and robust streaming space. Nevertheless, he sees challenges ahead.

EXCLUSIVE: India’s Zee Studios and Roy Kapur Films are collaborating on an action thriller featuring Shahid Kapoor in the lead. 

Naman Ramachandran Shibasish Sarkar has been unanimously elected as president of the Producers Guild of India (PGI) at the first meeting of its newly constituted Guild Council of Management. Sarkar is currently the chair and CEO of International Media Acquisition Corp (IMAC), a special purpose acquisition company targeting the Indian media industry. His last stint was as group CEO at Reliance Entertainment, a part of the Reliance ADA group . He previously held senior positions at Viacom18 and UTV Disney. Sarkar replaces prolific producer and former Disney India chief Siddharth Roy Kapur, who was in the position for six years and successfully weathered many storms during his tenure, including providing for industry workers during COVID-19, leading the industry against defamation of Bollywood by some Indian TV channels and pitching to India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting making a strong case for soft-touch regulation with an emphasis on self-regulation by the industry rather than an external censorship regime.

Naman Ramachandran Global Indian origin actors Pallavi Sharda (“Tom & Jerry,” “Lion”) and Suraj Sharma (“Life of Pi,” “How I Met Your Father”) star in Netflix romantic comedy “Wedding Season,” directed by “Shanghai Noon” and “Showtime” filmmaker Tom Dey.Variety has secured access to an exclusive clip from the film, which is produced by Imagine Entertainment, in association with Jax Media and Samosa Stories. The lead producer is Swati Shetty, who previously had senior management stints with Imagine, Netflix and Disney India and produced “Umrika,” starring Sharma, which won awards at Sundance, Palm Springs and Cairo.As a studio executive, Shetty shepherded Disney India’s first live action film “Do Dooni Char,” and Netflix’s “Love Per Square Foot,” “Rajma Chawal” and “Lust Stories.” “All these were films that I pushed for and championed from the studio side — so clearly, this is not the first in that sense,” Shetty told Variety.

Vijay Subramaniam, the former Amazon India and Disney India executive, has launched an independent venture that will develop, produce and finance content for the Indian market.