In a major shakeup, JioStar, the joint venture between Reliance’s Viacom18 and Disney’s Star India, is set to lay off 1,100 employees as part of its restructuring plan. This move comes after the merger of these two media giants, and the goal is to streamline operations and cut down on overlapping roles.
Why Are These Layoffs Happening?
The layoffs started about a month ago and are expected to continue until June 2025. Departments like finance, legal, distribution, and commercial teams are being hit the hardest. Since Viacom18 and Star India were competitors before the merger, they had many employees doing similar jobs—so now, JioStar is eliminating duplicate roles to improve efficiency.
What About Severance Packages?
Losing a job is never easy, but JioStar is offering severance packages to support affected employees. The compensation depends on how long an employee has been with the company, but in general:
✅ Six to twelve months’ salary as a severance package
✅ One month’s salary for each year of service
✅ A notice period of one to three months
While this may soften the blow a bit, it’s still a tough time for those affected.
JioStar’s Future Focus: More Sports, More Digital Content
Even with these layoffs, JioStar isn’t slowing down. The company is doubling down on sports broadcasting and has big plans for IPL, WPL, and the Champions Trophy. More sports channels, more digital content, and a stronger focus on JioHotstar streaming seem to be the way forward.
Leadership & The Road Ahead
With Nita Ambani as Chairperson and Uday Shankar as Vice Chairperson, JioStar is making strategic moves to dominate India’s entertainment space. They’ve already brought together top TV brands like Colors, Star Plus, Star Gold, and Star Sports, and their streaming platform JioHotstar is pulling in massive audiences.
While layoffs are never good news, this restructuring is aimed at making JioStar a stronger, more efficient company in the long run. What do you think about these changes? Let’s discuss in the comments!