Disney+ Hotstar disappointed a lot of fans in India when it removed HBO content from its platform last month. This included the removal of popular shows such as Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, Succession and House of the Dragon. But fret not because Reliance is bringing back HBO shows along with Warner Bros content on its new streaming platform, JioCinema.
JioCinema is already a free entertainment service for Jio users, and it’s also where the ongoing IPL 2023 is streamed live. But the company has plans of making it a subscription-based streaming platform. Now, Viacom18, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries has signed an exclusive deal with Warner Bros Discovery Inc. for JioCinema. This brings all the popular popular HBO shows, Max Original and Hollywood movies to JioCinema. Also, these shows will release the same day in India as the US.
With this deal, fans in India can once again enjoy all the popular shows including House of The Dragon, The Last of Us, Succession, The White Lotus and Euphoria. Upcoming HBO Original shows including The Idol and White House Plumbers will also be available to stream when released. The existing library of hit shows such as Game of Thrones, Chernobyl and Big Little Lies will also be available.
What’s more? Viewers will also get access to popular Warner Bros. titles including Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and DC Universe movies. Even the upcoming Harry Potter series will be available on JioCinema. With this bucketload of content, JioCinema will already have a head start to JioCinema among other streaming rivals in the country.
“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,” Ferzad Palia, Head – SVOD & International Business, Viacom18, said in a release.
What we know about JioCinema so far
Reliance has already confirmed its plans of making people pay for JioCinema. It is currently free to all Jio users with exclusive streaming rights for IPL 2023. But JioCinema will soon become a paid streaming services with introductory prices rumoured to start as low as Rs 2.
A recent leak showed that the base JioCinema plan will cost Rs 2 day with a validity for one day and support for two devices. . This would be the introductory price though as the original price is shown as Rs 29. There’s also a quarterly ‘Gold’ plan priced at Rs 99 (Rs 299) with three months validity and support for two devices. The ‘Platinum’ plan would be the most expensive as it’s priced at Rs 599 (Rs 1,199) and it offers 12 months validity with support for up to four devices.
Reliance has also announced over 100 new movies and TV shows that will soon be available to watch on JioCinema. As for the launch date, the company said it would debut before the end of IPL which is on May 28th.
