After having snatched the digital streaming rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) from Disney+ Hotstar, JioCinema has now gotten hold of streaming rights to content from HBO, Max Original and Warner Bros. This was announced as part of a multi-year agreement between Warner Bros. Discovery and Viacom18, JioCinema’s parent company.
The new deal will bring current and future seasons of popular content such as Succession, House Of The Dragon, The Last of Us, Succession and The White Lotus, in addition to legacy content such as Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings back to Indian audience, starting as early as next month. Disney+ Hotstar earlier had the Indian streaming rights to HBO content but decided to let go of it from March-end. This had puzzled users of Disney+ Hotstar who viewed popular shows such as Succession on the streaming platform.
Although the financial details of the deal are not yet out, it has been reported that the content will premiere on JioCinema the same day as it will in the US, placing Indian audience at par with their fellow viewers in the US.
Regarding the deal, Ferzad Palia, head of international business at Viacom18, said, “JioCinema has become the biggest platform for live sports. We are now on a mission to build the most magnetic destination for entertainment for all Indians. The strategic partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery is a big milestone in our journey to offer the best of Hollywood content to our elite consumers. We believe that Warner Bros. Discovery sets the global standards for premium content and this partnership allows us to create the best and the most comprehensive destination for our users.”
JioCinema is already making waves in the Indian OTT segment after it bagged the rights to stream the popular sporting event IPL on the platform. Viacom18 paid $2.9 billion for IPL digital streaming rights from 2023 to 2027. Viacom18's streaming platform will hope to take on Netlfix and Amazon Prime with its new deal.
