Nita Ambani, chairperson of Reliance Foundation, and Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, have reportedly joined the board of Viacom18, a joint venture between Reliance Industries (RIL) and Bodhi Tree Systems. This appointment comes while Viacom18 is entering the final stages of its merger with Walt Disney’s Star India.

In addition to the Ambanis, the Viacom18 board will now include James Murdoch, co-founder of Bodhi Tree Systems, and Mohammed Ahmed Al-Hardan, who leads the technology, media, and telecom division at Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), a key investor in Bodhi Tree. Also joining the board are Jyoti Deshpande, President of Media and Content Business at RIL, and Shuva Mandal, Partner at Anagram Partners.

Once the merger is finalised, a new board of 10 members will be formed. According to the report, six members will be nominated by RIL, three by Walt Disney, and one by Bodhi Tree.

The process of merging Star India and Viacom18 has already begun, with Viacom18 formally applying to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to transfer its TV channel licenses to Star India, with approval expected soon.

As per the merger scheme sanctioned by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Viacom18 will first move its assets to its subsidiary, Digital18, before Digital18 transfers them to Star India in return for shares, consolidating both entities under a unified structure.

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This merger has already received conditional approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI), subject to compliance with certain conditions. The final implementation will take place once both boards agree on the official effective date.

With a combined valuation of $8.5 billion, the merged entity will have a formidable presence across television and digital platforms, unlocking synergies in content, workforce, technology, and revenue generation.