不过，在印度规模达280亿美元的媒体和娱乐市场上，苹果的Apple TV+也还只是个小玩家，其主要竞争对手包括Netflix、亚马逊的Prime Video、迪士尼为印度市场量身定制的Disney+ Hotstar、以及印度首富穆克什·安巴尼旗下的JioCinema。①Apple is cooperating with the Indian telecommunication giant Bharti Airtel to provide free music and video streaming services for the latter's high-end customers. ②This move will allow Apple to reach the world's largest population of internet entertainment consumers. ③Bharti Airtel will announce new subscription fee plans in the coming days.
On August 28th, according to CaiLian Press (edited by Zhou Ziyi), Apple is collaborating with the Indian telecommunication giant Bharti Airtel to provide high-quality free music and video streaming services for Bharti Airtel's high-end customers. This move strengthens the relationship between this American giant company and the country with the largest population in the world.
So far, Apple TV+ has been distinguished in the streaming media field by its focus on original content. Well-known original series under Apple TV+ streaming service include "Ted Lasso," "The Morning Show," and "Dickinson," etc.
However, in the 28 billion USD media and entertainment market in India, Apple's Apple TV+ is still a small player. Its main competitors include Netflix, Amazon's Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar tailor-made for the Indian market by Disney, and JioCinema owned by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani.
In this fiercely competitive market, whether the cooperation between Apple and Bharti Airtel can proceed smoothly remains to be seen. Previously, there were reports of an 8.5 billion USD merger of media assets in India between Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Group and Walt Disney, which is currently undergoing close scrutiny by antitrust regulatory agencies.
Reaching a larger consumer base.
In a statement released on Tuesday (August 27th), Bharti Airtel said, "Apple TV+ will be bundled with Airtel WiFi and postpaid plans."
In addition, Bharti Airtel is reportedly planning to shut down its Wynk music application in the near future, and advanced subscription users on that application will be able to use Apple Music in the future. However, the two companies have not disclosed the value or cost of this cooperation.
According to two insiders familiar with the strategic cooperation, with 0.281 billion users, Bharti Airtel is the second largest telecom operator in India, second only to Reliance Jio's telecommunication services. For Apple, this trade can help it reach a larger group of consumers through Bharti Airtel's digital services.
According to two other sources directly familiar with Bharti Airtel's plans, Bharti Airtel will announce a new subscription pricing plan within a few days, which may include free Apple TV+ service.
Based on the current subscription fees of multiple streaming platforms, Apple TV+ service does not have much advantage. Apple TV+ service is priced at $9.99 per month in the United States and ₹99 per month in India (equivalent to $1.18). The monthly fee for Apple Music is also ₹99. In comparison, JioCinema by Reliance Jio can provide free access to popular cricket events in India, and its package price is as low as ₹29 per month. The starting price for Netflix is ₹149 per month.
In India, cricket is considered a way to attract more customers to use streaming platforms. Last year, Disney transferred the streaming rights of the Indian Premier League to Hotstar, resulting in the loss of millions of Indian users.