Apple has partnered with India’s Bharti Airtel to offer Apple Music and Apple TV+ for free to the telecom giant’s premium customers, a move which allows Apple to expand its digital services to thousands of consumers in the world’s most populous nation.
The collaboration is aimed at boosting Apple’s presence in India’s $28 billion media and entertainment market, where the company faces stiff competition from streaming giants such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar, as well as Mukesh Ambani’s JioCinema. Airtel ranks as India’s second-largest telecom operator with 281 million subscribers, and getting access to such numbers could strengthen Apple’s standing in India.
Under the new agreement, Apple TV+ will be bundled with Airtel’s premium Wi-Fi and postpaid plans, while Apple Music will be integrated into Airtel’s Wynk music app, which will soon be shut down. Although the companies have not disclosed the deal’s financial details, sources indicate that Apple is targeting a broader consumer base in India with its content services. Airtel will soon announce new tariff plans featuring Apple TV+.
This deal is proof of the intensifying competition in India’s streaming landscape, especially as the $8.5 billion merger of the Indian media assets of Reliance and Walt Disney faces antitrust scrutiny. With Apple TV+ already priced affordably at 99 rupees per month in India, this partnership could help Apple compete more effectively in a market where content like cricket drives viewership.
Apple currently holds a 6% share (41.4 million) of India’s 690 million smartphone users, with the majority using Android-powered devices from brands like Samsung and Xiaomi.
