Apple and Bharti Telecom reached a major cooperation! Making a full entry into the Indian streaming media market

According to the financial news app Zhitong Finance, the US tech giant Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) is actively cooperating with the Indian telecommunications giant Bharti Airtel to explore providing high-quality free music and video streaming services to the premium customers of the telecom company, allowing the streaming services of this US tech giant to reach numerous online entertainment consumers in the country with the largest population in the world. It is understood that Apple's streaming platform Apple TV+ mainly features English content and holds a place in the Indian media and entertainment market totaling up to USD 28 billion. The main competitors of Apple TV+ include streaming giants such as Netflix, Amazon's Prime Video, Disney's Disney+ Hotstar tailored for the Indian market, and JioCinema under Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani. Apple's move to enter the Indian streaming market comes at a time when competition in the Indian streaming market is intensifying. Additionally, the proposed merger of media assets in India between Reliance Industries and Disney's Indian business (both of which have streaming services) worth USD 8.5 billion is facing close scrutiny from Indian antitrust regulators. "Apple's Apple TV+ will be fully bundled with Airtel WiFi, which has premium subscription customers, as well as postpaid plans," Bharti Airtel in India stated in a release on Tuesday local time, without disclosing the specific value of the cooperation agreement or detailed information on costs. It is reported that Apple Music will also be available to existing premium subscribers of Wynk Music, an app that Bharti Airtel will soon be shutting down. Bharti Airtel recently announced that the employees responsible for the music app will be fully absorbed by the company. Two sources familiar with this strategy stated that for Apple, this significant deal aims to reach more Indian consumers through its digital streaming services, as Bharti Airtel is the second-largest telecom operator in India with approximately 281 million users. In comparison, the telecom services of Reliance Jio, the telecom giant under Indian billionaire Ambani, have around 489 million users. Apple's flagship streaming service Apple TV+ is globally known for its original series such as Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, and Slow Horses. So far, Apple TV+ has stood out in the streaming industry by focusing on internally produced original content. Most streaming competitors in India and overseas platforms can provide users with classic movies and popular TV shows from other studios, as well as their own original content. According to two other sources directly familiar with Apple's plans, Bharti Airtel is expected to announce new subscription fee plans in the coming days, which may include free Apple TV+ services. Currently, the retail subscription price for Apple TV+ in the US is USD 9.99 per month, while in India, the retail subscription price has been significantly reduced to INR 99 per month (approximately USD 1.18). In comparison, JioCinema under Indian billionaire Ambani offers exclusive cricket content popular in India for free and plans to charge as low as INR 29 per month However, another streaming media giant, Netflix, has a higher starting price, reaching as high as 149 Indian Rupees per month. Cricket is seen as an important way to attract more Indian market customers to major streaming platforms. Last year, Disney lost the streaming rights of the Indian Premier League, which is possibly the most popular cricket tournament in the world, owned by the Reliance Group under Ambani. As a result, Disney may have lost millions of Indian users. According to data from the well-known market research firm Counterpoint, Apple holds a 6% share among approximately 690 million smartphone users in India. The rest of the market is dominated by Samsung and numerous Chinese smartphone manufacturers, all of which use Google's Android operating system. Furthermore, Apple's music streaming service, Apple Music, currently has a subscription price of 99 Indian Rupees per month in the Indian market, providing subscribers with access to a large library of one billion songs