Ambani’s JioCinema Secures NBCUniversal Titles, Intensifies Netflix-Disney Rivalry

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JioCinema, the affordable video-on-demand streaming service rival to Netflix and Disney’s Hotstar in India, will soon be home to “The Office” and other NBCUniversal titles.

Streaming service Viacom18 said on Monday it signed a “multi-year” partnership with NBCUniversal to bring “thousands of hours” of NBCU movies and TV shows to India. The association follows Viacom18 acquiring broadcast rights to HBO and other shows from Warner Bros. titles for the South Asian market, taking away the premium offering that once drew many to Disney’s Hotstar.

The association ensures that “almost all the content”, except for some libraries, it is exclusive to JioCinema in India, the company said.

JioCinema’s score in these international catalogs should be a cause for concern for global giants. JioCinema, which has attracted many high-profile Hotstar talent over the years, offers the most affordable streaming service among the major companies. Compared to a standard Netflix plan, which costs $6 per month, JioCinema Premium charges a fee of only $12 per year.

The streaming service, which hosts the hugely popular IPL cricket tournament and also offers a free and ad-supported tier, will start rolling out NBC titles on its platform from next month, at a dedicated Peacock hub, it said. The NBC titles will be available exclusively to paying subscribers, Viacom18 said.

Viacom18, a joint venture between tycoon Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance and Paramount Global, also counts former Star executives Uday Shankar and James Murdoch’s Bodhi Tree among its backers. bodhi tree reduced its planned investment in Viacom18 to $528 million last month, a 70% decrease from the initial commitment of $1.78 billion. Bodhi Tree plans to increase its stake in Viacom18, TechCrunch previously reported.

Viacom’s expansive deal18 with NBCUniversal includes a package of content from Universal Television, UCP, Universal International Studios, Universal Television Alternative Studio, Sky Studios, DreamWorks Animation, Universal Pictures, Focus Features and Bravo, according to a statement from the Indian entity.

The deal includes popular series like The Office, Parks and Recreation, Downton Abbey, Suits and The Mindy Project, as well as blockbuster franchises like Jurassic, Bourne, Shrek, The Mummy and Pitch Perfect. In addition, the Fast franchise, featuring the newly launched FastX, along with the anticipated title, Oppenheimer, from filmmaker Christopher Nolan, will also make its Indian streaming debut on JioCinema in the future.