JioCinema, the entertainment division of Reliance, has reportedly entered into an agreement with The Pokemon Company to feature children’s shows and movies on its platform. This move is seen as JioCinema’s effort to enhance its content offerings in the face of domestic competition from the likes of Walt Disney Co and other streaming services.
JioCinema-The Pokemon Company deal details
- Citing sources, a report by Reuters mentioned that the agreement, finalised this month, designates JioCinema’s streaming app as the exclusive platform partner in India.
- The deal encompasses over 1,000 episodes and about 20 movies from the Japanese anime series.
- However, the financial details of the agreement have not been disclosed.
- The content, including shows and movies, will undergo dubbing in three Indian languages along with English for a wider audience.
- As per the report, Pokemon, known for its global multi-billion dollar media franchise, extends across trading cards, games, TV shows, and movies.
The report also mentioned that previously, certain Pokemon content was available on Voot. However, the recent agreement with JioCinema represents a significantly expanded partnership. 91mobiles can confirm that 12 seasons of the Pokemon TV show and some of the Pokemon movies are currently streaming on the platform.
Meanwhile, as per the report, JioCinema is making a new effort to grow in the Indian streaming market by incorporating child-focused content. Research firm Media Partners Asia predicts that this market will reach a value of $7 billion by 2027.
The report states that JioCinema plans to include approximately 3,000 hours of children’s content, encompassing movies and shows from Entertainment One, Animaccord, Cartoon Network Studios, and DreamWorks.
JioCinema, which commenced operations in 2016, initially served Jio’s cellular subscribers. However, it has evolved into an independent streaming service over time. Recently, it stepped into the competitive arena, taking on platforms like Hotstar, especially after securing streaming rights for the FIFA World Cup last year. JioCinema further solidified its presence in the sports streaming segment in India by streaming the IPL 2023 earlier this year.
