It seems that Jio Cinema, the video streaming service of Reliance Jio, has scrapped its Rs 999 annual subscription plan after merging with Disney+ Hotstar, the leading OTT platform in India. The move surprises many Jio Cinema subscribers who wanted to opt for the yearly plan to enjoy unlimited access to movies, TV shows, and live sports.
Previously, the JioCinema Website offered only one subscription plan that cost Rs 999 for a year. However, now the website only shows a new plan that costs Rs 99 for a month. If we do the math, the annual cost for this plan would be Rs 1,188. This raises the question, has there been a price increase for Jio Cinema’s annual subscription? We have asked the Jio team for clarification, but we are still awaiting their response.
However, the benefits of subscribing to the Jio Cinema monthly plan remain the same as the annual one, including the content being played at the highest possible video and audio quality and the ability to watch on 4 devices simultaneously.
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The development came shortly after Reliance and Disney Star announced they would enter a joint venture. The combined company will be worth Rs 70,352 crore ($8.5 billion) after the merger. The majority shareholder of the company will be Reliance Industries, which will put in Rs 11,500 crore ($1.4 billion) to expand its business.
Reliance, Viacom 18, Star India TV channels, and Disney+ Hotstar India are now a part of the JV, thereby forming India’s largest entertainment company. The merged entity comprises Reliance, holding a 61% stake, while Disney holds a 39% stake. Together, they now have access to content, including those from Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Warner Bros., HBO, Universal Movies and much more. This also gives them an upper hand over the competition, including ZEE, Netflix and Prime Video.