Major Revamp Follows Viacom18-Disney Star Merger Compliance
February 19, 2025: New Delhi: In a strategic overhaul, JioStar has announced the shutdown of nine existing channels and the introduction of eight new sports channels from March 15, 2025. The move comes in response to market conditions and regulatory compliance following the merger between Viacom18 (Reliance’s media arm) and Disney Star India.
Channels Going Off-Air:
The following nine channels will be discontinued, including SD and HD versions of Comedy Central, Vh1, and MTV Beats, due to market conditions.
| Sr. No. | Channel Name | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Comedy Central | Shut |
| 2 | Vh1 | Shut |
| 3 | MTV Beats | Shut |
| 4 | Comedy Central HD | Shut |
| 5 | Vh1 HD | Shut |
| 6 | MTV Beats HD | Shut |
| 7 | Bindass | Shut |
| 8 | Colors Odia | Shut |
| 9 | Star Kiran HD | Shut |
Introduction of 8 New Sports Channels
As part of its sports content expansion, JioStar will launch two new HD sports channels and rebrand six existing channels under the Star Sports umbrella.
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| Sr. No. | Existing Channel | New Channel Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New | Star Sports 2 Telugu HD |
| 2 | New | Star Sports 2 Tamil HD |
| 3 | Star Sports First | Star Sports 2 Kannada |
| 4 | Sports18 1 | Star Sports 2 Hindi |
| 5 | Sports18 2 | Star Sports 2 Telugu |
| 6 | Sports18 3 | Star Sports 2 Tamil |
| 7 | Sports18 Khel | Star Sports Khel |
| 8 | Sports18 1 HD | Star Sports 2 Hindi HD |
Changes in Free-to-Air (FTA) and Pay Channels
JioStar has also moved Star Utsav and Colors Rishtey to the FTA (Free-to-Air) category after securing DD Free Dish slots. Meanwhile, Sports18 Khel has been renamed as Star Sports Khel and converted into a paid channel, priced at ₹1 per month.
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| Sr. No. | Channel Name | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Star Utsav | FTA |
| 2 | Colors Rishtey | FTA |
What’s Next?
The restructuring aligns JioStar’s offerings with its post-merger strategy and expanding sports broadcasting. With new regional HD sports channels, the broadcaster aims to enhance its viewership and market dominance in sports entertainment.
📡 Stay tuned for more updates on JioStar’s evolving content strategy!
Tags:
JioStar, Viacom18, DisneyStar, ChannelShutdown, StarSports, SportsChannels, ComedyCentral, MTVBeats, Vh1, FreeToAir, DDFreeDish, PayChannels, StarSports2, ColorsRishtey, StarUtsav