Reliance Entertainment
Reliance Entertainment is an Indian media and entertainment company spanning film production, distribution, music, gaming, television, digital media and related entertainment services.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Reliance Entertainment is the media and entertainment business associated with India's Reliance Group. The company operates across content creation and distribution rather than functioning as a single-format broadcaster or studio. Its activities have included feature-film production and distribution, music, television production, animation, home video, mobile and online entertainment, gaming, sports-related initiatives, radio, digital cinema and other emerging delivery platforms. The business was established on 15 February 2005 through two related entities, Reliance Big Entertainment and BIG Pictures. Reliance entered entertainment at a time when India's media market was expanding beyond conventional theatrical exhibition and television into video rental, digital cinema, IPTV, direct-to-home services, mobile television and internet distribution. One early consumer-facing initiative was Bigflix, a video-rental service that represented the group's attempt to build a direct relationship with entertainment audiences. In 2009, Reliance Big Entertainment and BIG Pictures were combined under the Reliance BIG Pictures name. The company adopted the Reliance Entertainment name in 2010, creating a broader corporate identity for its film, television, music, gaming and digital activities. This period also saw the group pursue international partnerships and investments, including a major film joint venture with Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks announced in 2009. The relationship gave Reliance an involvement in internationally oriented film production and helped connect its Indian media operations with Hollywood projects. Reliance Entertainment's portfolio has included production labels, film studios, post-production and visual-effects capabilities, record-label operations, mobile-game development and television production. Its associated or subsidiary businesses have included Reliance Animation, Reliance Home Video & Games, Reliance BIG Music, Reliance Games, Reliance MediaWorks, Reliance ND Studios, Big Synergy, Digital Domain, Lava Bear Films, Riverstone Pictures, Window Seat Films and other specialized units. It has also held an investment in Storyteller Holding Co., the company associated with Amblin Partners, with related labels and divisions including Amblin Entertainment, DreamWorks Pictures and Amblin Television. The company has used partnerships and investments as a way to participate in international entertainment markets. In 2010 it acquired a substantial interest in Codemasters, the British video-game company, and it was involved in the international film-financing and sales business through IM Global. IM Global was later sold to Tang Media Partners in 2016 and subsequently became part of Global Road Entertainment after a merger with Open Road Films. Reliance also had an interest in Phantom Films, which was sold in 2022 and renamed Phantom Studios by its subsequent owners. Its film activities have covered Indian-language cinema, including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam productions, as well as English, French and Spanish projects. The company has participated in both locally focused entertainment and large international productions. It co-produced Steven Spielberg's War Horse, released internationally in 2011, and Reliance-backed DreamWorks projects received significant awards-season recognition, including 11 Academy Award nominations announced in early 2012. Reliance Entertainment's business model has therefore combined ownership and financing, production, distribution, technology and platform access. Its emphasis has shifted with the wider media environment, from physical video rental and theatrical distribution toward digital delivery, mobile games, internet services, television, visual effects and globally connected film partnerships. Publicly available reference material identifies it as an active Reliance Group media division, although detailed current operating figures, leadership information an…
History
Reliance Entertainment emerged from Reliance Group's expansion into media and entertainment. It was founded on 15 February 2005 through two entities, Reliance Big Entertainment and BIG Pictures. The new business was designed to cover a wide range of activities in an Indian market that was developing new forms of content consumption and distribution. Rather than limiting itself to theatrical films, the group pursued video rental, music, television, gaming, internet and mobile portals, sports-related entertainment, and technology-enabled channels such as digital cinema, IPTV, direct-to-home and mobile television. One of its early initiatives was Bigflix, which took the company into India's video-rental market. The group also explored radio and international audience opportunities, including the launch of a Big 92.7 FM station in Singapore. These moves reflected an effort to build a broad entertainment ecosystem with both content assets and consumer-facing delivery platforms. In 2009, Reliance Big Entertainment and BIG Pictures were merged into Reliance BIG Pictures. The following year the company changed its name to Reliance Entertainment. The rebranding created a unified identity for film, television, music, gaming, animation, home video and digital activities. Reliance simultaneously pursued international partnerships. On 15 July 2009, it and Steven Spielberg announced a film joint venture backed by $825 million. The venture connected Reliance's Indian business with Hollywood-oriented production and financing, including projects associated with DreamWorks and Spielberg. Reliance's film ambitions included both Indian and international releases. The company was involved in the 2010 release of Kites, which the reference material identifies as achieving a first Hollywood box-office market for the company. It later co-produced Spielberg's War Horse, released worldwide on Christmas Day in 2011. By January 2012, Reliance DreamWorks movies were reported to have accumulated 11 Oscar nominations, giving the partnership a visible awards-season profile. The company also expanded into games. In April 2010 it acquired a 50 percent stake in Codemasters, an international game developer. Reliance subsequently announced plans in November 2014 to begin acquiring DreamWorks Studios' North American and European mobile-game studios in early 2015. Its broader gaming operations included Reliance Games and Jump Games, identified in the reference material as a ParadoX Studios business. Reliance Entertainment's corporate structure has included a mixture of subsidiaries, labels, studios, investments and joint ventures. Associated businesses have included Reliance Animation, Reliance Home Video & Games, Reliance BIG Music, Reliance MediaWorks, Reliance ND Studios, Big Synergy, Digital Domain, Lava Bear Films, Riverstone Pictures, Window Seat Films and Talenthouse. Its investment in Storyteller Holding Co. related it to Amblin Partners and its associated Amblin Entertainment, DreamWorks Pictures and Amblin Television operations. The portfolio also changed over time. Reliance's 80 percent-held IM Global was sold to Tang Media Partners in 2016 and later became part of Global Road Entertainment after combining with Open Road Films. Codemasters was listed as a former holding with Reliance owning 29 percent until January 2021. Phantom Films was sold in 2022 to Madhu Mantena and Sheetal Talwar and renamed Phantom Studios. These transactions illustrate the company's use of acquisitions, partnerships and divestments to adjust its international entertainment exposure. Reliance Entertainment's documented activities span Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, English, French and Spanish content. Its operating model has combined the creation and financing of content with distribution, post-production, animation, gaming and platform delivery. The supplied reference material does not provide a verified current executive roster, headquarters, website or detailed present-day financial information, so those fields remain unspecified.
- 2022
Phantom Films is sold
[1]Phantom Films is sold and subsequently renamed Phantom Studios.
- 2021
Codemasters holding concludes
[1]Reliance's identified 29 percent interest in Codemasters lasts until January 2021.
- 2016
IM Global is divested
[1]IM Global is sold to Tang Media Partners.
- 2011
War Horse is released
[1]Reliance co-produces Steven Spielberg's War Horse, released internationally on Christmas Day.
- 2010
The company adopts the Reliance Entertainment name
[1]Reliance BIG Pictures is renamed Reliance Entertainment.
- 2010
Codemasters investment
[1]Reliance acquires a 50 percent stake in Codemasters.
- 2009
Reliance Big Entertainment and BIG Pictures merge
[1]The two businesses are combined under the Reliance BIG Pictures name.
- 2009
Spielberg film joint venture is announced
[1]Reliance and Steven Spielberg announce a film venture with $825 million in funding.
- 2005
Reliance Entertainment businesses are founded
[1]Reliance Big Entertainment and BIG Pictures are established on 15 February, forming the foundation of the later Reliance Entertainment business.
Products and positioning
A diversified Indian media and entertainment platform combining content production, distribution, technology-enabled delivery and international entertainment partnerships.
Film · 2005
Feature films and film distribution
Reliance Entertainment's central activity has been the production, financing, co-production and distribution of feature films. Its documented scope covers Indian-language cinema as well as English, French and Spanish projects. The company has participated in locally oriented releases and international productions, including projects associated with DreamWorks and Steven Spielberg.
Video games
Reliance Games
Reliance Games is the group's mobile-game development and publishing operation. It represents the company's move beyond filmed entertainment into interactive content for mobile and digital platforms. The wider gaming portfolio has also been associated with Jump Games and international game-industry investments.
Animation
Reliance Animation
Reliance Animation, formerly identified as BIG Animation, is an animation business within the company's entertainment portfolio. It extends Reliance's content production capabilities into animated film and related visual storytelling rather than limiting the group to live-action cinema and television.
Music
Reliance BIG Music
Reliance BIG Music is the group's record-label division. Its inclusion in the portfolio reflects Reliance Entertainment's strategy of controlling or participating in multiple content categories, allowing the business to operate in recorded music alongside film, television, gaming and digital media.
Video rental and digital entertainment
Bigflix
Bigflix was launched as Reliance's entry into India's video-rental market. It was an early consumer-facing expression of the company's broader interest in entertainment access and distribution, preceding the industry's deeper shift toward digital, internet, mobile and direct-to-home delivery.
Media services and post-production
Reliance MediaWorks
Reliance MediaWorks has been associated with media production services, post-production and studio capabilities. The portfolio also identifies Reliance MediaWorks Studio at Filmcity Mumbai and a business formerly linked with Lowry Digital, indicating a role in the technical and infrastructure side of film and television production.
Film studio
Reliance ND Studios
Reliance ND Studios is part of the company's studio and production infrastructure. It represents the physical and operational side of Reliance's film business, complementing the group's content labels, distribution operations, post-production assets and international production relationships.
Television production
Big Synergy
Big Synergy is identified as Reliance Entertainment's non-fiction television production division. Its role broadens the portfolio from feature films into television formats and factual or unscripted programming, supporting the group's stated interest in television and cross-platform entertainment content.
Home entertainment
Reliance Home Video & Games
Reliance Home Video & Games is the portfolio division associated with home-video distribution and games. It links the company's earlier physical-media activities with interactive entertainment and illustrates the combination of content ownership, packaged distribution and gaming within the Reliance structure.
Marketing campaigns
- 2009Reliance–Spielberg international film partnership
India · United States · international
Reliance and Steven Spielberg announced a large-scale film joint venture intended to connect Reliance's Indian entertainment platform with Hollywood production.
Outcome. The relationship produced or supported internationally released projects, including War Horse and other DreamWorks-associated films.
- Bigflix video-rental launch
India
Reliance launched Bigflix to enter India's relatively underdeveloped video-rental market and establish a direct consumer-facing entertainment service.
Outcome. The initiative marked an early expansion from content businesses into entertainment access and distribution.
- Big 92.7 FM Singapore launch
Singapore
Reliance launched a Big 92.7 FM radio station in Singapore with an orientation toward the Indian population there.
Outcome. The launch extended the group's media presence into radio and an overseas South Asian audience.
Brand decisions
2022
Divest Phantom FilmsM&ABackground
Phantom Films was one of the production businesses associated with Reliance Entertainment.
Action taken
The company sold Phantom Films to Madhu Mantena and Sheetal Talwar.
Aftermath
The business was subsequently renamed Phantom Studios.
2016
Divest IM GlobalM&ABackground
IM Global was an international film financing and sales business in which Reliance held an 80 percent interest.
Action taken
Reliance sold IM Global to Tang Media Partners.
Aftermath
IM Global later merged with Open Road Films and became part of Global Road Entertainment.
2014
Plan expansion into DreamWorks mobile gamingStrategyBackground
Reliance was pursuing additional international gaming capabilities linked to its film and entertainment partnerships.
Action taken
The company announced plans to begin acquiring DreamWorks Studios' North American and European mobile-game studios in early 2015.
Aftermath
The supplied reference does not establish the final outcome of the announced plan.
2010
Acquire a stake in CodemastersM&ABackground
Reliance sought to expand its entertainment portfolio into international interactive media.
Action taken
The company acquired a 50 percent stake in Codemasters.
Aftermath
The holding was later identified as 29 percent and continued until January 2021.
2009
Merge Reliance Big Entertainment and BIG PicturesM&ABackground
The group had two related entertainment entities operating across content and distribution.
Action taken
Reliance combined them under the Reliance BIG Pictures name.
Aftermath
The consolidation was followed by the adoption of the Reliance Entertainment name in 2010.
Recent events
Reliance Entertainment and Ribhu Dasgupta form Film Hangar[2]
Reported:
Reliance Entertainment announced that it joined filmmaker Ribhu Dasgupta to form Film Hangar, a joint venture to produce movies.
Screenlife partnership to develop Indian films[3]
Reported:
Timur Bekmambetov partnered with Graphic India and Reliance Entertainment to develop original local-language Screenlife films in India. The deal starts with three films, with the first aiming to enter production early the following year.
Sources3 sources
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