JioCinema signs with NBCUniversal as it challenges established OTT players

For years, JioCinema has been an outlier in the OTT space. However, the last few months have seen the streaming platform growing into a mainstream contender. The company has been making moves left and right to challenge established players. In the latest, it penned a deal with NBCUniversal to bring more Hollywood content to the platform. Reliance is showing its intent. Are others ready?

• India's OTT space has been dominated by established players like Amazon, Disney, and Netflix. Now over six years old, Jio Cinema has been a distant spectator in the segment for a long time.
• Things are, however, changing. Known for disrupting the competition in the telecom and retail sectors, Reliance's new target is OTT.
• The latest signs show it is on the right track.

Reliance-owned Viacom 18's multi-year deal with NBCUniversal will bring multiple titles like The Office, Suits, and Downton Abbey to JioCinema. The deal follows another blockbuster partnership where Viacom 18 bagged the streaming rights for HBO and other Warner Bros. titles. Viacom 18 penned a deal with Warner Bros. after the latter ended its eight-year partnership with Disney+ Hotstar.

Unlike Viacom 18's exclusive deal with Warner Bros., its partnership with NBCUniversal isn't exclusive. Therefore, Netflix is likely to offer NBCUniversal's content like before. However, the deal represents an aggressive strategy by Reliance to take on its more seasoned rivals. The mere one-month gap between the two deals also says how swiftly it is moving to close agreements.

Reliance began to show its aggressive intent in the OTT space by bagging the rights for the FIFA World Cup 2022. It surprised everyone by streaming the global footballing event free of cost. This was followed by acquiring the rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL) from 2023 to 2027. JioCinema's IPL streaming has been a massive hit and it is also free.

To challenge its rivals, the company has also rolled out a Premium plan. The yearly premium subscription plan is worth Rs. 999. Meanwhile, Netflix's Standard Plan costs Rs. 499 per month, and Disney+ Hotstar's Premium plan costs Rs. 1,499 per month. JioCinema is projecting itself as an affordable option compared to its rivals. The addition of quality content adds to its charm.

JioCinema will start showing NBCUniversal's content starting next month. There will be a dedicated Peacock hub for NBC titles. Only JioCinema's Premium subscribers will have access to the latest additions on the platform.