1 year ago
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Jio Platform, owned by Reliance Industry, is reportedly making big moves to establish JioCinema as a major streaming platform in India. Having secured the rights to stream the IPL and announced 100 original web series and movies under the Jio banner for 2023-24, the company is now reportedly in talks with Warner Bros Discovery Inc to secure exclusive streaming rights for HBO content on the JioCinema app. Two sources with direct knowledge of the matter revealed that the deal has already been struck. With this deal, JioCinema secures exclusive streaming right for popular HBO content, including Succession, Game of Dragons, Game of Thrones, and more in India.
The content deal with Warner Bros Discovery Inc could bring thousands of hours of streaming content onto JioCinema, which has gained a reputation for streaming the IPL cricket tournament on its platform for free in the ongoing season. According to an ET report, Viacom18, a broadcast venture of Reliance, has struck a deal with Warner Bros Discovery Inc. for the streaming platform JioCinema.
Popular shows such as Succession, Game of Thrones, and the upcoming Harry Potter series would be included in the content deal. The sources revealed that Warner Bros as well as its HBO content would become available on JioCinema. However, the sources did not disclose the financial details of the deal.
The deal is expected to be exclusive and see most of Warner’s marquee content on the JioCinema platform. Warner Bros cannot offer most of its popular titles to other rivals including Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar, said one of the sources. “It’s a deep exclusive arrangement which will make JioCinema the house of Warner, HBO in India,” said the person.
While Warner Bros has not yet responded to the reports, Viacom18 has declined to comment. Nevertheless, the partnership could be a significant push for JioCinema, which has been gaining traction in India due to its free streaming of the IPL. Moreover, the content deal could add more value to JioCinema as it seeks to compete with other established streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Disney Hotstar.
Earlier, a Reddit user spotted a test website that showcased three premium subscription plans – Gold, Daily, and Platinum. Although the company has not confirmed these plans yet, the website revealed that all the plans would offer the same content at the highest quality, i.e., 4K. “Watch all content, on any device, in the highest quality, on all JioCinema Premium plans”, the website reads. This could very well happen as JioPlatfom pushes to add more and more content to its streaming app.
It has been rumored that Jio Platforms is considering merging its popular streaming app JioCinema with Voot, another streaming app that focuses on streaming TV shows from Viacom 18, live news, and movies. Following this merger, JioCinema is speculated to be rebranded as JioVoot.
In fact, Jio platforms subsidiary Viacom18 recently won the IPL digital streaming rights from 2023 to 2027 for around $2.9 billion, a deal that Disney previously held. This move to secure streaming rights for popular HBO content is expected to be a big draw for Indian audiences who are avid consumers of Hollywood content. The exclusive partnership with Warner Bros would make JioCinema the go-to streaming platform for Indian audiences seeking the latest and greatest Hollywood content.
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