Disney in early talks with potential buyers Adani, Sun TV for Indian streaming business

These discussions involve options such as selling part of the Indian operations, including sports rights and Disney+ Hotstar streaming service

According to reports, The Walt Disney Co. is in initial talks with potential buyers for its streaming and television business in India. These preliminary discussions see the company engage with Indian business tycoons Gautam Adani and Kalanithi Maran (Sun TV group), along with private equity firms.

The talks are in early stages, with Disney exploring options such as selling some operations or a combination of assets from the unit. These discussions involve options such as selling part of the Indian operations, including sports rights and Disney+ Hotstar streaming service.

Preliminary asset-sale talks have also happened with Reliance Industries Ltd. These talks are in early stages, and no deal is certain, sources say.

These discussions come as Disney faces competition from Reliance Industries' streaming platform JioCinema offering free access to the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament.

Disney has been exploring strategic options since losing its streaming rights for the Indian Premier League. It hopes to boost advertising revenue by offering free cricket on smartphones, countering subscriber losses.