Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s broadcast venture, Viacom18 Media, and Warner Bros Discovery Inc. signed a multi-year pact to stream latter’s exclusive content in India, marking another win for Asia’s richest man over Walt Disney Co. in the race to corner one of the world’s biggest media markets.
(Bloomberg) — Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s broadcast venture, Viacom18 Media, and Warner Bros Discovery Inc. signed a multi-year pact to stream latter’s exclusive content in India, marking another win for Asia’s richest man over Walt Disney Co. in the race to corner one of the world’s biggest media markets.
Web series including Succession, House of the Dragon and The Last of Us as well as other content from HBO and Max Original will be available on JioCinema next month, the Indian conglomerate said in a statement Thursday.
The content deal, which comes after Disney ended its tie-up with Warner Bros on March 31, gives a big leg up for Ambani’s media ambitions as he doubles down on his consumer bet in the world’s most-populous nation. JioCinema is raking in millions of viewers by streaming India Premier League cricket matches — a coveted sports event whose digital rights it won for $2.7 billion last year by outbidding global giants, including Disney and Sony Group Corp.
Ambani’s JioCinema is building out its library, with the Warner Bros content adding to more than 100 original films and TV series it is slated to launch on the platform in the coming months. JioCinema will also start charging for people to stream the new offerings, aiming to build on the popularity of the free cricket broadcasts that end in May.
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