JioCinema
Defunct Indian subscription video on demand service From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
JioCinema was an Indian subscription video-on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Viacom18. The service was merged with Disney+ Hotstar on 14 February 2025, to form JioHotstar.[2]
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| Type of business | Streaming |
|---|---|
Type of site | OTT platform |
| Available in | |
| Dissolved | 14 February 2025 |
| Predecessor(s) | Voot |
| Successor(s) | JioHotstar |
| Headquarters | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Area served | Indian Subcontinent |
| Owner | Viacom18 |
| Founder(s) | Jio Platforms |
| Key people |
|
| Industry | |
| Products | |
| Services | |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional |
| Users | 15 million (As of 2024[update])[1] |
| Launched | 4 May 2016 |
| Current status | Discontinued; merged with Disney+ Hotstar as JioHotstar |
In April 2022, the service was brought under Reliance's Viacom18 joint venture, backed by new funding from Uday Shankar and James Murdoch's Bodhi Tree Systems. JioCinema began to subsume Viacom18's existing streaming platform Voot later that year, beginning with sports programming in October, and Voot being officially discontinued in favour of JioCinema in August 2023.
History
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Perspective
Launch (2016–2019)
JioCinema was launched on 5 September 2016 by Jio Platforms as part of a suite of apps and services exclusive to Jio mobile subscribers, with JioCinema app for Android and iOS. In December 2017, JioCinema added a web-based version for PCs.[3][4] A JioCinema app was also released for Jio's KaiOS-based Jio Phone.[5]
In 2019, Intex,[6] TCL,[7][8] and Xiaomi[9][10] announced that they would include JioCinema apps with their smart TVs.
Viacom18 era (2022–2023)
In April 2022, Viacom18—a joint venture between Paramount Global and Jio's parent company Network18 Group—announced that Qatar-backed Bodhi Tree Systems (founded by former Disney Asia-Pacific president Uday Shankar and former 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch) would make a major investment in the company with a focus on bolstering its streaming businesses. As part of the deal, JioCinema would be brought under Viacom18.[11] In September 2022, the Competition Commission of India approved the transaction, which was completed in April 2023.[12][13][11]
In October 2022, before the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it was announced that Viacom18 sports content would move from their existing streaming platform Voot to JioCinema, with all World Cup matches streaming for free.[14][15] The platform was made available to all users, including non-Jio users. Its coverage faced criticism from viewers on social media for initially having technical issues such as buffering; JioCinema stated that it would work to address these issues.[16]
JioCinema launched a premium tier on 15 May 2023, anchored by a content agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery that saw rights to HBO and Max original productions move to JioCinema from its competitor, Disney+ Hotstar.[17] JioCinema also announced a similar library agreement with NBCUniversal, including Universal Pictures, Universal Television, and Peacock productions.[18]
Voot began to migrate its original productions to JioCinema in June 2023, including new seasons of Asur and Bigg Boss OTT. In August 2023, Voot was discontinued, with JioCinema assuming its content library, and existing Voot Select subscribers being migrated to JioCinema Premium.[19][20]
Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema merger (2024–present)
In October 2024, Employees of RIL revealed that Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema will officially merge into a single platform. Back in February 2024, Reliance and Disney agreed on a $8.5 billion merger of their media assets. Nita Ambani will serve as the chairperson of the merged entity while Uday Shankar from Bodhi Tree Systems will be the vice-chair.[21][22] Shortly after news of the merger reached the media and the public, a user known as "A Dreamer" registered the domain name "jiohotstar.com". The user requested Reliance to fund his education in exchange for the domain; initially requesting £93,345 from Reliance, matching the fees for his education programme. However, this request was turned down by Ambujesh Yadav, AVP of Commercials at Reliance.[23]
In December 2024, Reliance Industries acquired the domain jiohotstar.com,[24] giving rise to speculations that Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema would officially merge into a single platform.
On 14 February 2025, JioCinema along with Disney+ Hotstar were merged and launched as JioHotstar, subsequently JioCinema transferred existing subscribers to JioHotstar.[25]
Content
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Perspective
Current partners
Indian content
In December 2018, JioCinema partnered with Disney India[26][27][28] to offer Disney+ Hotstar content on the JioCinema app. Disney has withdrawn from this deal after the introduction of Disney+ Hotstar in India.
In December 2019, JioCinema partnered with Sun NXT to host over 4,000 films available on the Sun NXT platform[29][30][31][32] across four Indian languages: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. In May 2020, JioCinema partnered with Hoichoi to provide Hindi-dubbed Bengali content.[33]
International content
In May 2022, Paramount Global announced that Paramount+ would launch in India through Viacom18 in 2023, however Paramount never launched its streaming platform in India and instead brought their content to JioCinema Premium.
In April 2023, Jio Studios unveiled a slate of 100 new titles that would eventually be available on JioCinema.[34] The same month, Warner Bros. Discovery announced an agreement with JioCinema for it to carry HBO and Max original programming, as well as other Warner Bros. Television Studios content. The deal succeeds a previous agreement with Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video, respectively.[35][36] HBO content would premiere day-and-date with their U.S. broadcast.[17] HBO and Warner Bros. content would launch in May 2023 as part of the new JioCinema Premium tier.
In May 2023, NBCUniversal announced a similar agreement, which will add a Peacock hub to JioCinema Premium featuring first-run and library content from Universal Television, Universal Pictures, Universal Content Productions, and Sky Studios, along with Peacock original programming.[18]
In November 2023, Viacom18 secured a deal to bring Pokémon shows and movies to JioCinema.[37]
In May 2024, JioCinema struck the deal with anime licensor Muse Communication to bring the Anime series into their JioCinema Premium subscription, including to simulcast the fourth season of hit anime Demon Slayer.[38]
Original programming
List of original shows
List of original films
List of short films
| Title | Premiere date | Original language(s) | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Comedian | 29 September 2023[68] | Hindi | Comedy-drama |
| Birha : The Journey Back Home | 30 September 2023[69] | Punjabi | Drama |
| Bebaak | 1 October 2023[70] | Hindi | |
| Rat in the Kitchen | 2 October 2023 | Neo-noir thriller | |
| Mein Mehmood | 3 October 2023 | Drama | |
| Gangster Ganga | 4 October 2023 | ||
| Munna Ka Bachpan | 5 October 2023 | ||
| Ghuspaith | 6 October 2023 | ||
| The Daughter | 7 October 2023 | ||
| Laar | 8 October 2023 | ||
| Kofuku | 9 October 2023 | ||
| Armaand | 10 October 2023[71] | ||
| Coming Out With the Help Of a Time Machine | 11 October 2023 | ||
| The Last Envelope | 12 October 2023 | ||
| Murakh: The Idiot | 13 October 2023 | ||
| Maachis Ki Dibiya | 14 October 2023 | ||
| Ring Mili Kya | 15 October 2023 | Comedy | |
| Dammy | 16 October 2023 | Drama | |
| Before We Die | 17 October 2023 | ||
| Phone Call | 18 October 2023 |
Availability and access
As of April 2024, JioCinema re-launched the JioCinema Premium subscription service, with pricing starting at Rs. 29 per month.[72] This service offers ad-free streaming, support for up to 4K video quality, and offline viewing capabilities. A family plan available at Rs. 89 per month allows simultaneous access on four screens.[73][74]
Viewership
As per Statista's Q2 2020 report, JioCinema had a 7% market share among many competitors like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which had a 20% market share each; Disney+ Hotstar, which had a 17% market share; ZEE5 with a 9% market share; ALTBalaji and SonyLIV, which had a 4% market share each; and other streaming platforms, which had a 19% market share.[75]
The 2023 Indian Premier League final set a new record for concurrent viewership of a streaming broadcast. JioCinema reported that the match peaked at 32 million concurrent viewers (beating a record set during the 2019 Cricket World Cup by Hotstar) and was seen by over 120 million unique viewers.[76][77]
See also
References
External links
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