JioStar India to merge IndiaCast into parent company

JioStar India, the Reliance Industries-Disney joint venture, plans to merge its wholly owned television distribution arm, IndiaCast Media Distribution, into the parent company through a fast-track merger process, according to a regulatory filing reviewed by The Economic Times.

The merger will be carried out under Section 233 of the Companies Act, which allows simplified mergers between a holding company and its wholly owned subsidiary.

Under the proposed scheme, all assets, liabilities, contracts, employees and ongoing legal proceedings of the parent company will be transferred to JioStar India, subject to regulatory approvals.

No shares will be issued and no consideration will be paid as the parent company is a wholly owned subsidiary. It will be dissolved without winding up once the scheme takes effect.

The proposed effective date of the merger is April 1, 2025, or another date approved by the board, the streamer said in the filing. The board approved the scheme of amalgamation on July 14, 2025, and a notice inviting objections or suggestions was filed with the Registrar of Companies on January 23, 2026.

IndiaCast was earlier a joint venture between Viacom18 and TV18. TV18 has since been amalgamated into Network18, while Viacom18 merged with Star India to form JioStar. IndiaCast also distributes channels from Eenadu Television and AETN18, which operates History TV18.

IndiaCast reported total income of Rs 240 crore and a net loss of Rs 24 lakh for the financial year ended 2025, compared with income of Rs 224 crore and a net loss of Rs 2.63 crore in the previous year.

As part of the amalgamation, all intercompany investments, transactions and balances between IndiaCast and JioStar India will be cancelled.

The company said the merger is intended to achieve operational and managerial efficiencies through consolidation and legal entity rationalisation.