Warner Bros Discovery and Viacom18 have announced that they have entered a multi-year agreement, through which JioCinema will get access to stream content from HBO, Max Original and Warner Bros starting from May in India.
It also confirmed that the TV series from HBO Original, Max Original and Warner Bros. will premiere on JioCinema in India on the same day as the U.S. This is a big deal since some HBO shows usually releases months after the US release.
This is a big blow to Hotstar since it has stopped streaming HBO shows in India from April, after the contact ended on March 31, 2023, so popular series such as House of The Dragon, The Last of Us, Succession and The White Lotus disappeared from the streaming platform. These will now move to JioCinema.
Hotstar also lost IPL streaming rights to JioCinema, after Viacom18 acquired the digital streaming rights from 2023 to 2027 in a Rs. 23,758 crore deal.
Earlier this month, Warner Bros. Discovery introduced Max, a streaming service, which will launch in the U.S. on May 23.
Based on reports, JioCinema might be rebranded to JioVoot, and the JioCinema Premium plans starting from Rs. 2 per day surfaced on their
Clement Schwebig, President, India, Southeast Asia, and Korea, Warner Bros. Discovery, said:
Warner Bros. Discovery’s brands are incredibly popular across India, and we are pleased to partner with Viacom18 to bring our premium HBO, Max Original and Warner Bros. content to local fans. This new agreement demonstrates our commitment to South Asia as we seek to entertain audiences across more platforms, and further strengthens the scale of our regional business as a whole.
Ferzad Palia, Head – SVOD & International Business, 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.