Apple Partners with India’s Airtel to Offer Free Streaming Services to Premium Customers

Apple is collaborating with India’s telecom giant Airtel to provide its premium customers with free access to Apple Music and Apple TV+, a move that could expand the U.S. tech giant’s reach in the highly competitive and price-sensitive Indian market.

This partnership comes to light as competition intensifies in India’s $28-billion entertainment industry, particularly with the $8.5-billion merger of Reliance’s and Walt Disney’s Indian media assets currently facing regulatory scrutiny.

Airtel announced on Tuesday that Apple TV+ will be included in its premium WiFi and postpaid plans, though details about the financial aspects of the deal or associated costs were not disclosed.

While Apple TV+ holds a relatively small market share in India, dominated by English-language content, it faces stiff competition from established players like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, and Mukesh Ambani’s JioCinema.

Apple’s strategy mirrors that of its competitors, bundling its streaming services with telecom plans to rapidly grow its user base.

Starting later this year, Airtel’s premium broadband and postpaid customers will gain access to Apple TV+ and Apple Music as part of their subscription packages.

As part of this new collaboration, Airtel plans to shut down its music streaming app Wynk, according to sources familiar with the matter who requested anonymity.

Airtel, with approximately 281 million subscribers in India, competes closely with Reliance Jio, which boasts around 489 million subscribers.