Billionaires Gautam Adani and Kalanithi Maran are among those with whom Walt Disney Co. is in exploratory talks about selling its India streaming and television operations. 

The US entertainment conglomerate's senior executives have also gauged the interest of private equity funds, as the company is considering a variety of options, including selling a portion of the Indian operations or a combination of the unit's assets, including sports rights and regional streaming service Disney+ Hotstar, according to people familiar with the discussions, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private.

Reliance Industries Ltd., owned by Mukesh Ambani, the richest man in Asia, has already been the subject of asset sale negotiations, according to a previous report from Bloomberg News.

After losing the streaming rights to the Indian Premier League cricket event to Viacom18 Media Pvt. in July, Bloomberg News reported that Disney has been considering strategic options for its business in India, including an outright sale or the formation of a joint venture. Reliance, Paramount Global, and Uday Shankar's investment company, Bodhi Tree Systems, are partners in the creation of Viacom.

According to the sources, a potential acquisition may enhance Maran's broadcasting business, Sun TV Network Ltd., while the Adani Group might use it to grow its recently acquired New Delhi Television Ltd. They stated that negotiations are still in their very early stages and that a deal might not be reached.

Disney's Indian representatives declined to comment. S. L. Narayanan, chief financial officer of Sun TV Network Group, stated that the company doesn't comment on rumors or conjectures in the market. A representative for Adani also stated that they would refrain from commenting on market rumors.