Disney Star legal head Mihir Rale steps down amid merger with Reliance

New Delhi: Mihir Rale, the legal head at Disney Star, is set to depart from the company as the Reliance-Disney merger progresses. 

This development has been confirmed by sources to BestMediaInfo.com.

Last week, it was reported that K. Madhavan will also be stepping down from the role of Country Manager and President of Disney Star.

As per sources, Sajith Sivanandan, the head of Disney+ Hotstar, is also expected to depart from the company. 

Rale has nearly two decades of legal experience. He joined Star India as a manager in 2009 and currently serves as Chief Regional Counsel for Star and Disney India. 

Rale began his career as a litigation counsel at Haresh Jagtiani & Associates, practicing before the Bombay High Court. 

Before his tenure at Star India, he worked at AZB & Partners, handling a diverse range of assignments. 

He holds an LLB and a Bachelor of Socio-legal Sciences from the Indian Law Society's Law College and the University of Pune.

Sources suggest that the merger between Viacom18 and Disney Star India is expected to result in some job losses for roles that overlap between the two companies. However, employees on both sides are preparing to transition under Star India. 

The merger, combining the media assets of Reliance Industries and The Walt Disney Co.'s India business, will create the country's largest media conglomerate, valued at over Rs 70,000 crore. 

This consolidation will also mark the end of Viacom18's 27-year journey as it merges with Star India. Much attention is focused on the future of the two OTT platforms, JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar. 

A recent Reuters report confirmed that JioCinema will likely make way for Hotstar, citing the latter’s superior capabilities. The report also revealed that all live sports content, including IPL, will be exclusively available on Disney’s Hotstar app.