After incorporating Network18's news channels, JioCinema planning to expand its news portfolio

Reliance-owned JioCinema is looking to add news channels, in addition to the Network18 channels which it has already incorporated in the platform. Thereby, JioCinema is going to join the likes of Disney+ Hotstar and SonyLIV - who are contemplating on bringing news channels back, highly placed sources told BestMediaInfo.com.

It should be noted that JioCinema had incorporated Network18’s news channels onto the platform a few days back- which includes channels like News18 India and its regional counterparts, as well as CNBC Awaaz, CNBC TV18, and CNBC Bajar.

JioCinema remained unavailable for comment at the time of filing this story.

Earlier this month, BestMediaInfo.com had reported that Disney+ Hotstar and SonyLIV are contemplating on bringing news channels back on their platforms after the government’s clarification over the FDI clause in IT Rules, 2020. Both platforms had stopped carrying news channels from July 1, 2021, owing to ambiguity in IT Rules.

The I&B Ministry, on March 10, clarified that when an OTT platform is hosting the digital feed of a TV news channel granted permission under the extant Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines, only as a medium and makes it available to its subscribers/users, such an OTT platform is not covered under the 26% FDI rule.

Many news channels are believed to be in touch with these OTT platforms after the clarification issued by the I&B ministry.

When the OTT platforms removed the news channels in 2020, sources had told BestMediaInfo.com that the news brands such as Aaj Tak were among the most-searched keywords across content genres, at least on two OTT platforms. The channels such as Aaj Tak were getting a minimum fee of around Rs 5 crore from a single OTT platform. So, if the channel was present on four or five OTT aggregator platforms, it was earning in the range of Rs 15-20 crore approximately, with ease.

Other channels such as ABP, Zee and Republic, among others, were also being paid in the range of Rs 3 crore to Rs 5 crore annually per platform.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com