Reliance, Disney offer concessions to win antitrust nod for India media merger

Reliance and Walt Disney have offered to sell some channels to win faster antitrust approval for their $8.5 billion India media assets merger, but are resisting changes to cricket broadcast rights they own, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Antitrust experts have warned that the Reliance-Disney merger, announced in February, could face intense scrutiny as it will create India’s biggest entertainment player which will compete with Sony, Zee Entertainment, Netflix and Amazon with a combined 120 TV channels and two streaming services.