JioCinema signs exclusive pact with Pokemon for streaming children's content
JioCinema, the entertainment division of Reliance, has inked an exclusive agreement with The Pokemon Company to offer children's shows and films on its platform. This move is designed to enhance content and compete with rivals like Disney+ Hotstar and other streaming services in India. The agreement will grant JioCinema exclusive rights in India to over 1,000 episodes and nearly 20 films from the renowned Japanese anime series.
The Pokemon content will be dubbed in 3 Indian languages
To cater to Indian viewers, the Pokemon shows and films will be dubbed in three local languages. Pokemon has evolved into a worldwide multi-billion dollar media franchise, including trading cards, games, TV series, and movies. Neither Viacom18, the entertainment joint venture that runs JioCinema, nor The Pokemon Company, owned by Nintendo and its affiliates, have made any statements regarding the deal.
JioCinema plans to add 3,000 hours of children's content
Besides the Pokemon content, JioCinema plans to incorporate roughly 3,000 hours of children's content from Entertainment One, Cartoon Network Studios, Animaccord, and DreamWorks. This will be achieved through Viacom18's existing content agreements or integration with its now-discontinued streaming app Voot Kids. Some Pokemon content was previously accessible on Voot, but the new JioCinema deal signifies a "much larger partnership."
Ambani's push to expand in the Indian streaming market
Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani's recent decision to include child-centric content is part of his plan to grow in the Indian streaming market. Media Partners Asia, a research firm, predicts that this market will be valued at $7 billion by 2027. JioCinema's competitors include Netflix and Amazon, but Ambani has lately concentrated on competing with Disney's Hotstar app, as both provide free streaming of cricket matches.
