Jio Cinema is a formidable player in the Indian streaming space courtesy its ambitious plans and deep pockets. The OTT giant reinvented itself and made its presence felt in a big way around the middle of the year 2023 when it partnered with WBD and brought HBO & Max content to its platform, later followed by the launch of Peacock and Paramount+ content hubs.
However, after a spate of buzzy releases like ‘Asur Season-2’, ‘Bloody Daddy’, ‘Bhediya’, and ‘Vikram Vedha’ and an ever-active sports line-up, the films and series segment became rather dull and inconsistent.
So, were the Indian OTT audiences better-off when HBO & Max content was previously available on Disney+ Hotstar? Because Disney+ Hotstar is doing a better job of churning out original films and series on its OTT platform since its inception in India. For instance, recently, it has given us films and shows like ‘The Freelancer’, ‘The Night Manager’, ‘Apurva’, etc. and ‘Aarya Seaosn-2’ is set to arrive soon.
In fact, it might even be better if HBO and Max and other Hollywood content is somehow made available on either Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. Netflix because it has such a massive number of titles under its belt and the way it consistently releases new films and shows every week. And with Amazon Prime Video, streaming viewers will get the Prime advantage on Amazon’s shopping website besides enjoying its Indian originals and licensed titles portfolio on OTT.
So, the point is: Disney+ Hotstar, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video are better placed OTT platforms for audiences to enjoy premium Hollywood content at the moment. Jio Cinema is currently charging Rs.999/- per year for its Premium subscription which gives foreign content access.
What Jio Cinema can do is that it either can reduce this subscription price by half, that is, Rs.499/- per year, or it should be more consistent in delivering new and original Indian titles the way it did last year for some time. That ways, Jio Cinema would be a more value-for-money proposition for Indian OTT viewers. What’s your take?
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