Apple Takes a Big Bite Out of India’s Streaming Market with New Airtel Deal!

Apple's gearing up for a big bite in India's streaming scene! After striking a deal with Airtel, they're ready to take on the music and TV streaming giants.

This could be a game-changer for Apple as they look to win over millions of Indian users. Let's dive into what this means for the streaming wars in one of the world's most dynamic markets.

Amid the rising trend of bundled streaming services, Airtel has struck a new deal with Apple to offer its premium customers in India free subscriptions to Apple TV+ and Apple Music. Starting later this year, Apple TV+ will be included with Airtel’s premium WiFi and postpaid plans.

Additionally, Airtel Wynk’s premium subscribers will be transitioned to Apple Music. These new offers for Apple TV+ and Apple Music will be available to Airtel's premium customers later in the year.

This partnership comes at a time when competition in India’s entertainment industry is increasing, especially with the ongoing 8.5-billion dollars merger between Reliance and Walt Disney’s Indian media assets.

By joining forces, Apple and Airtel hope to attract more consumers in India’s price-sensitive market. Interestingly, Airtel's decision to shut down Wynk, despite its steady popularity, adds another layer to this move.

In the Asia Pacific region, Wynk Music had about 20% market share with downloads, according to Deutsche Bank.
Although Wynk's growth had slowed, the choice to close it signals a shift in strategy, likely paving the way for this new collaboration with Apple.

Given this steady growth and significant market share, the Apple- Airtel deal is aimed at reaching out to a much bigger pool of consumers with its digital services given Airtel is the country's second biggest telecom operator with 281 million subscribers.

Currently, Apple holds 6% of India's 690 million smartphone users, according to research firm Counterpoint.

The rest of the market is dominated by Samsung and Xiaomi, with the majority of phones running on Google's Android operating system.

By teaming up with Airtel, Apple hopes to boost its presence in a market largely controlled by its competitors.

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