JioCinema


JioCinema


JioCinema is an Indian over-the-top media streaming service owned by Viacom18, a joint venture of Reliance Industries and Paramount Global. It offers free advertising- and subscription-based video on demand and live streaming content.

The service was initially launched on 4 May 2016 alongside the public launch of the Jio mobile carrier. In April 2022, the service was brought under Reliance's Viacom18 joint venture, backed by new funding from Uday Shankar and James Murdoch's Bodhi Tree Systems. JioCinema began to subsume Viacom18's existing streaming platform Voot later that year, beginning with sports programming in October, and Voot being officially discontinued in favour of JioCinema in August 2023.

History

Launch

JioCinema was launched on 5 September 2016 by Jio Platforms as part of a suite of apps and services exclusive to Jio mobile subscribers, with JioCinema app for Android and iOS. In December 2017, JioCinema added a web-based version for PCs. A JioCinema app was also released for Jio's KaiOS-based Jio Phone.

In 2019, Intex, TCL, and Xiaomi announced that they would include JioCinema apps with their smart TVs.

Viacom18 era

In April 2022, Viacom18—a joint venture between Paramount Global and Jio's parent company Reliance Industries—announced that Qatar-backed Bodhi Tree Systems (founded by former Disney Asia-Pacific president Uday Shankar and former 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch) would make a major investment in the company with a focus on bolstering its streaming businesses. As part of the deal, JioCinema would be brought under Viacom18. In September 2022, the Competition Commission of India approved the transaction, which was completed in April 2023.

In October 2022, ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it was announced that Viacom18 sports content would move from their existing streaming platform Voot to JioCinema, with all World Cup matches streaming for free. The platform was made available to all users, including non-Jio users. Its coverage faced criticism from viewers on social media for initially having technical issues such as buffering; JioCinema stated that it would work to address these issues.

JioCinema launched a premium tier on 15 May 2023, anchored by a content agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery that saw rights to HBO and Max original productions move to JioCinema from its competitor, Disney+ Hotstar. JioCinema also announced a similar library agreement with NBCUniversal, including Universal Pictures, Universal Television, and Peacock productions.

Voot began to migrate its original productions to JioCinema in June 2023, including new seasons of Asur and Bigg Boss OTT. In August 2023, Voot was discontinued, with JioCinema assuming its content library, and existing Voot Select subscribers being migrated to JioCinema Premium.

Content

Sports broadcasting rights

  • Indian Premier League (2023-2027)
  • India national cricket team and BCCI media rights (September 2023 to March 2028)

Current partners

  • Balaji Telefilms
  • Eros Now
  • NBCUniversal
  • Paramount Global
  • Shemaroo Entertainment
  • Warner Bros. Discovery (HBO & Max)

History

In December 2018, JioCinema partnered with Disney India to offer Disney content on the JioCinema app. Disney has withdrawn from this deal after the introduction of Disney+ Hotstar in India.

In December 2019, JioCinema partnered with Sun NXT to host over 4,000 films available on the Sun NXT platform across four Indian languages: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. In May 2020, JioCinema partnered with Hoichoi to provide Hindi-dubbed Bengali content.

In May 2022, Paramount Global announced that Paramount+ would launch in India through Viacom18 in 2023, however Paramount never launched its streaming platform in India and instead brought their content to JioCinema Premium.

In October 2022, ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it was announced that Viacom18 sports content would move from their existing streaming platform Voot to JioCinema, with all World Cup matches streaming for free. The platform was made available to all users, including non-Jio users.

Beginning in 2023, JioCinema will hold the digital rights to the Indian Premier League as part of a multi-year deal through 2027, with all matches streaming for free in 12 languages and telecasts available in 4K. It also acquired the digital rights to the new Women's Premier League. Content from sister streaming service Voot, including TV shows, movies, and limited series, was also being made available on JioCinema.

In April 2023, Jio Studios unveiled a slate of 100 new titles that would eventually be available on JioCinema. The same month, Warner Bros. Discovery announced an agreement with JioCinema for it to carry HBO and Max original programming, as well as other Warner Bros. Television Studios content. The deal succeeds a previous agreement with Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video, respectively. HBO content would premiere day-and-date with their U.S. broadcast. HBO and Warner Bros. content would launch in May 2023 as part of the new JioCinema Premium tier.

In May 2023, NBCUniversal announced a similar agreement, which will add a Peacock hub to JioCinema Premium featuring first-run and library content from Universal Television, Universal Pictures, Universal Content Productions, and Sky Studios, along with Peacock original programming.

In June 2023, JioCinema acquired the streaming rights to India's 2023 tour of the West Indies and the United States.

In September 2023, Viacom18 acquired the television and digital rights to India national cricket team matches from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a five-year deal valued at ₹5,963 crore (US$750 million), a 13% increase over its previous contract with Disney.

In November 2023, Viacom18 secured a deal to bring Pokémon shows and movies to JioCinema.

Viacom18 secured the rights of Paris Olympics 2024 for an undisclosed amount.

Original programming

List of original shows

List of original films

List of short films

Interface and features

Sports, Free and Premium content tabs are available as of November 2023.

Livestreaming

Live streaming of Viacom18's news channels is available on JioCinema. Sports-related events with acquired rights are also livestreamed.

Downloads

Device-specific apps also support offline downloading of VOD content titles.

Availability and access

Location

As of July 2023, JioCinema is not available outside India.

Subscription

As of August 2023, a subscription plan called 'JioCinema Premium' is required to access international content under the 'HBO' and 'Peacock' hubs. Some local content titles are available without subscription or registration and are accessible with ads.

As of October 2023, ad-free access subscription is not available.

As of April, 2024, JioCinema has launched a new subscription service called 'JioCinema Premium,' with pricing starting at Rs. 29 per month. This service offers ad-free streaming, support for up to 4K video quality, and offline viewing capabilities. Additionally, a family plan available at Rs. 89 per month allows simultaneous access on four screens.

Devices and platforms supported

  • TV sets
    • Google-certified Android TVs
    • Samsung smart TVs
  • Media players
    • Amazon Fire TV devices
    • Chromecast devices
  • Smartphones and tablets
    • Android 5.0 and above
    • iOS 10.0 and above
  • Desktop and mobile website browsers
    • Chrome
    • Edge
    • Firefox
    • Safari
Collection James Bond 007

Viewership

As per Statista's Q2 2020 report, JioCinema has a 7% market share among many competitors like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which have a 20% market share each; Disney+ Hotstar, which has a 17% market share; ZEE5 with a 9% market share; ALTBalaji and SonyLIV, which have a 4% market share each; and other streaming platforms, which have a 19% market share.

The 2023 Indian Premier League final set a new record for concurrent viewership of a streaming broadcast; JioCinema reported that the match peaked at 32 million concurrent viewers (beating a record set during the 2019 Cricket World Cup by Hotstar) and was seen by over 120 million unique viewers.

See also

  • List of Netflix India originals
  • List of Amazon India originals
  • List of Disney+ Hotstar original programming
  • List of SonyLIV original programming
  • List of ZEE5 original programming
  • Over-the-top media services in India

References

External links

  • Official website

Text submitted to CC-BY-SA license. Source: JioCinema by Wikipedia (Historical)



 


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