The agreement between Jiocinema and Warner Bros
Warner Bros Discovery Inc. and Viacom18 have reached a multi-year partnership, the latter of which was disclosed on Thursday. With this agreement, JioCinema will begin streaming HBO, Max Original, and Warner Bros. content in India from the following month. Several months have passed since JioCinema acquired the IPL rights from Disney-Hotstar. The agreement covers all upcoming and current seasons of the HBO series.
Due to a combined statement from the firms, the agreement, which covers exclusive media rights online and offline, signifies an important milestone for both organizations as they work to provide audiences with top-tier programming that is unmatched across the globe.
Shows that will be displayed on Jiocinema
HBO Original films and shows are also included in the deal. The selection also includes television programmes from Warner Bros. and Max Originals. According to the agreement, Warner Bros. and its HBO programming, including well-known films and television programmes like Succession, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and the Harry Potter series, will be made available on Reliance’s JioCinema app.
President of Warner Bros. pleased to partner with Viacom 18
“Warner Bros. Discovery’s brands are incredibly well-known throughout India, and we are pleased to partner with Viacom18 to bring our premium HBO, Max Original, and Warner Bros. content to local fans,” said Clement Schwebig, president of Warner Bros., Discovery for India, Southeast Asia, and Korea.
“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,” continued Schwebig.
According to people familiar with the situation, Viacom18 will pay Warner Bros. Discovery yearly licensing costs of up to $20 million.
The sources also said that Disney+ Hotstar’s agreement with HBO was for five years and was worth $50 million. HBO programming was previously only available on Disney+ Hotstar in India. Due to disagreements about an increase in yearly license payments, the parties’ content agreement came to an end in March.
According to one of the media executives, “Viacom18 is also in talks with other international studios to strengthen JioCinema’s content offering.” Additionally, JioCinema will serve as the default home for more than 100 films and web series that JioStudios is planning on releasing. Industry insiders point out that, in addition to HBO, the Viacom18 agreement is significantly more comprehensive because it covers programming from Max Original and Warner Bros. as well.
Jio Cinema gained immense engagement during IPL
Experts in the over-the-top (OTT) market think that the Warner Bros. Discovery agreement represents the company’s intention to expand JioCinema’s portfolio of entertainment content in order to retain new customers who have joined the platform as a result of the Indian Premier League (IPL). JioCinema, which has gained popularity for airing the IPL cricket competition on the website for free during the current season, would receive countless hours of streaming programming thanks to the content arrangement.
