Apple-Bharti Airtel sign deal, streaming svcs rise in content hungry India

Apple signed a content deal with Indian telecoms operator Bharti Airtel late in its push for a larger slice of the country's $28 billion entertainment market

Apple signed a content deal with Indian telecoms operator Bharti Airtel late on Tuesday in its push for a larger slice of the country's $28 billion entertainment market.

Here are the streaming platforms that dominate Indian screens:

Disney+Hotstar: Owned by Walt Disney's, Disney+Hotstar is the market leader in the country's streaming landscape with a roughly 26 per cent share, as per industry data.

The platform has approximately 38 million paid subscribers, Walt Disney Co's latest annual report showed.

It offers content from Star's television dramas, as well as a variety of sports offerings such as cricket, football and tennis. It has the digital rights for the International Cricket Council's matches in India until 2027.

It has monthly, quarterly and annual subscription packages, starting from 299 rupees ($3.56) per month.

Amazon Prime Video: Owned by e-commerce-to-streaming giant Amazon.com, Amazon Prime Video is second to Hotstar with a 23 per cent market share and is estimated to have about 20 million users in India.

Users can stream available movies and TV shows on its platform and can rent movies.

Access to content on the platform is available via prime membership, which is priced between 299 rupees a month to 1499 rupees a year.

Netflix: The global streaming giant , which has a 10 million user base in India and views the country as an important demography, is the third-largest platform with a 13 per cent market share.

Netflix, which houses movies, documentaries, TV and animated shows, has four monthly pricing plans in the range of 149 rupees to 649 rupees.

ZEE5: The streaming platform of ZEE Entertainment Enterprises carries content from Zee's television channels.

The platform, which also allows renting of films, has a market share of 11 per cent. It offers three plans ranging between 299 rupees per month to 1199 rupees annually.

Japan's Sony Group in January pulled the plug on a $10 billion merger with Zee that had been in the works for two years, citing unresolved "closing conditions" and leadership disputes.

JioCinema: Owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani's oil-to-retail conglomerate Reliance Industries, it has a 7 per cent market share in the country.

JioCinema's streaming catalogue includes TV shows as well as content from foreign giants HBO and Paramount.

Reliance's mega merger with Disney has hit a regulatory hurdle over cricket rights concerns, Reuters reported previously.

Sony LIV: The streaming platform associated with Sony Pictures Networks India, Sony Group's subsidiary, offers content from Sony's televised shows and has a market share of 4 per cent.

It also has three plans ranging between 299 rupees per month to 1499 rupees per year.