Top Streaming Platforms In Content-Hungry India

Photo: Reuters/Francis Mascarenhas

BENGALURU, (REUTERS) – Apple signed a content deal with Indian telecoms operator Bharti Airtel late on August 27 in its push for a larger slice of the country’s $28 billion entertainment market.

Here are the streaming platforms that dominate Indian screens:

Disney+Hotstar: Owned by Walt Disney Disney+Hotstar is the market leader in the country’s streaming landscape with a roughly 26% share, as per industry data.

The platform has approximately 38 million paid subscribers, Walt Disney Co’s latest annual report showed, opens a new tab.

It offers content from Star’s television dramas, as well as a variety of sports offerings such as cricket, football and tennis. It has the digital rights for the International Cricket Council’s matches in India until 2027.

Amazon Prime Video: Owned by e-commerce-to-streaming giant Amazon.com, Amazon Prime Video is second to Hotstar with a 23% market share and is estimated to have about 20 million users in India.

Users can stream available movies and TV shows on its platform and can rent movies.

Access to content on the platform is available via prime membership.

Netflix: The global streaming giant which has a 10 million user base in India and views the country as an important demography, is the third-largest platform with a 13% market share.

Netflix houses movies, documentaries, TV and animated shows.

ZEE5: The streaming platform of ZEE Entertainment Enterprises carries content from Zee’s television channels.

The platform, which also allows renting of films, has a market share of 11%.

Japan’s Sony Group in January pulled the plug on a $10 billion merger with Zee that had been in the works for two years, citing unresolved “closing conditions” and leadership disputes.

JioCinema: Owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s oil-to-retail conglomerate Reliance Industries it has a 7% market share in the country.

JioCinema’s streaming catalogue includes TV shows as well as content from foreign giants HBO and Paramount.

Walt Disney and Reliance Industries won approval for an $8.5 billion merger of their Indian media assets after regulatory worries about their grip on broadcasting rights for cricket calmed.

Sony LIV: The streaming platform associated with Sony Pictures Networks India, Sony Group’s subsidiary, offers content from Sony’s televised shows and has a market share of 4%.

It also has three plans ranging between 299 rupees per month to 1499 rupees per year.