JioCinema signs multi-year deal with NBCUniversal as it rapidly adds more Hollywood and US television titles
With the free IPL streaming giving it the surge in popularity it needed, Indian viewers can now look forward to viewing more Hollywood titles on JioCinema. The Mukesh Ambani owned streaming player has signed a multi year deal with NBCUniversal, giving its users access to titles such as Bel-Air, The Office, Downton Abbey, Suits, Parks and Recreation, and The Mindy Project on JioCinema.
Under the new multi-year partnership, “thousands of hours” of NBCU content will be made available to JioCinema users. It will stream Comcast NBCUniversal’s production entities across brands, which include the likes of Universal Television, UCP, Universal International Studios, Universal Television Alternative Studio, Sky Studios, DreamWorks Animation, Universal Pictures, Focus Features, and Bravo among others.
According to media reports, NBCUniversal’s programming will be streamed in a Peacock branded hub from June 2023, on JioCinema’s newly announced ‘JioCinema Premium’ SVOD tier. Viacom18 maintains that NBCUniversal’s content will be exclusively available to paying subscribers only.
This development comes soon after Viacom18 snatched the streaming rights for Warner Bros Discovery for HBO, Max Original, and Warner Bros content, starting this month. With the addition of NBCUniversal’s content, Viacom18’s JioCinema is now poised to take on the likes of Disney+ Hotstar and Netflix, as it aims to offer a diverse range of entertainment options that cater to varied interests and preferences of the audiences.
The content that will be made available on JioCinema – under the new multi-year partnership – include the likes of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish and M3GAN, as well as films in the Fast, Minions, Jurassic, Bourne, Shrek, The Mummy, and Pitch Perfect franchises. They will also access to some of NBCU’s unscripted series titles, such as The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Vanderpump Rules, Family Karma, and The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.
It is a lucrative option for JioCinema, which now has the chance to JioCinema to attract a broader audience base simply by offering internationally recognized content that appeals to both existing and potential new subscribers. This, in turn, can help it expand its user base and increase its market share in the highly competitive Indian streaming industry.
The collaboration between NBC Universal and JioCinema marks an exciting chapter in the Indian streaming landscape. With the addition of popular NBCU titles, JioCinema aims to provide a diverse and captivating entertainment experience to Indian viewers, ensuring that there is something for everyone. Looking at the bigger picture, it is evident that this broad spectrum of content offered at JioCinema enriches the streaming landscape, the growth potential of the Indian streaming sector, as well as reflects the growing demand for diverse and inclusive storytelling in the Indian market in the post-pandemic era.
