Star India-Viacom18 merger may take more time as CCI looks into details

The merger comes at a time when a FICCI-EY report revealed that the Indian media and entertainment sector grew by 8 per cent in calendar 2023, reaching Rs 2.3 trillion

The merger of Reliance Industries Ltd-owned Viacom18 and Walt Disney’s Star India, which got NCLT’s green signal last month, may take some more time as antitrust watchdog Competition Commission of India (CCI) will conduct a detailed inquiry into the likely impact of the proposed merger, said a senior government official privy to the matter.

“The merger approval of Star India and Viacom18 will take some time as they have filled Form 2 which will require detailed study,” the official said.

Giving details about Form 2, Sonam Chandwani, Managing Partner, KS Legal & Associates, said, “Form 2 is