After Reliance-Warner deal, JioCinema pricing, local content in focus

The video streaming business of Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest person, is likely to focus on pricing and local content following a deal with Warner Bros as it seeks to challenge the likes of Disney and Netflix, industry sources said.

Under the content deal announced on Thursday, popular series from HBO and Warner Bros, such as Harry Potter and Succession, will be available from next month on the JioCinema platform, which Ambani’s Viacom18 has promoted for weeks by offering popular IPL cricket matches for free.

A pricing strategy for JioCinema is still under discussion internally, an industry source said, but Ambani has a reputation of disrupting rivals in the price-sensitive Indian market with cheap offers.