JioCinema app to become the house of Warner Bros, HBO in India after major deal

By India Today Business DeskReliance’s broadcast venture in India, Viacom 18, has struck a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. to bring popular Hollywood content on its streaming platform JioCinema.

The deal would see Warner Bros as well as its HBO content becoming available on Reliance’s JioCinema app, reported news agency Reuters, quoting two sources with direct knowledge.

While the final details of the deal have not come to the fore yet, this marks a major development as fans will again get access to popular movies and shows such as Succession, Game of Thrones, the Lord of the Rings, and the Harry Potter series, according to a joint statement by the companies.

It may be noted that many popular HBO shows and movies became inaccessible in India after they were removed from Disney Hotstar on March 31.

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One of the sources quoted by the news agency said the partnership will be exclusive and include most of Warner’s marquee content on the JioCinema platform.

This means Warner Bros will not be able to offer most of its popular titles to other Indian rivals, including Amazon Prime Video and Disney Hotstar, added the report.

“It’s a deep exclusive arrangement which will make JioCinema the house of Warner, HBO in India,” said one of the sources quoted by Reuters.

“HBO Original, Max Original and Warner Bros. Television series are set to premiere on JioCinema on the same day as the US,” the companies said in a statement.

Clement Schwebig, President for India, Southeast Asia and Korea for Warner Bros said the agreement was part of its commitment to the South Asia market, as it looks to further strengthen the scale of its regional business.

Deal to boost JioCinema’s growth

JioCinema, which has already become popular for streaming major sporting events like the Indian Premiere League (IPL) and the FIFA World Cup 2022, will see faster growth with the content deal.

This is because several of HBO’s top-rated shows, including Succession, aired in India on the Disney Hotstar platform until March 31 this year as the deal between the two companies ended on that date.

The new deal sealed by Viacom18 is huge as it will bring back all the popular shows to JioCinema and provide a massive boost to its popularity.

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One of the sources added that Warner has so far had various arrangements with Indian streaming giants, but this deal will see a consolidation of that library and will include HBO, Max, and Warner content, among others.

JioCinema, which is currently free for users, is planning to introduce tariffs soon as it plans to take on rivals such as Netflix and Amazon. The streaming platform is expected to introduce plans soon.

While JioCinema is still a relatively smaller player in India’s content streaming and OTT market, the deal could be a game-changer just before it begins monetising its platform.