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Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s streaming service will add more than 100 films and TV shows to its platform, building on the popularity of its cricket broadcasts in its attempt to compete in the fast-growing Indian market with global heavyweights like Walt Disney Co. and Netflix Inc.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Reliance Industries’ President for media business Jyoti Deshpande said, the expansion will coincide with JioCinema beginning to charge for content, though the specific pricing structure is still being established.
New titles will be released before the end of the Indian Premier League cricket season next month, she said, and viewers would be able to watch matches for free until then.
Deshpande is also the CEO of Viacom18, a joint venture between Paramount and Reliance, apart from looking after the music streaming business.
The potential viewership in India is enormous, with 1.4 billion people, a growing middle class, and increased internet access. During the first weekend of the IPL in April, JioCinema received over 1.47 billion video views, with 22 million fans tuning in for a match on Wednesday.
It remains a market that’s been hard to crack for global streaming platform giants: Netflix has cut its fees to lure price-conscious users, while a robust local cinema-going culture means Indian viewers can be picky in what they’ll watch online. Both price and content are at the front of mind in JioCinema’s k, said Deshpande.
The plan is to “keep tariffs simple for viewers,” she said. Currently, the streaming space “is dominated by Westernized content. Jio Studios wants to become a catalyst for cross-pollination of talent. We want to get as Indian as it can,” she said.
That includes rolling out films and series from thrillers and romance to biopics in languages including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, and Gujarati. It will also release new and original movies produced by Jio Studios like Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki and Amitabh Bachchan’s Section 84. Jio Studios has recently announced a multi-year, multi-film collaboration with SVF Entertainment for the Bengali market.
