Reliance Jio announced various plans and offers for its entry into the broadband market with JioFiber earlier this month. As expected, consumers will have to pay between Rs 699 and Rs 8,499 a month for plans, which come bundled with a free set-top box and Wi-Fi router.
But prior to launch, many reports suggested that JioFiber will also bundle TV services through its plans, which somehow hasn’t been mentioned anywhere in JioFiber’s product details.
So, is JioFiber going to bundle Live TV services or do you have to stick with existing direct-to-home (DTH) service for a little longer?
Going through the fine print from JioFiber, there’s no mention about a Live TV service. Instead, what you come across is the use of the term entertainment over the top (OTT) apps, which will also not be available from day one.
We’ve also got to know that JioFiber service will not offer the JioTV live app to users, as the Live TV platform is not allowed to run on TV as per the regulatory conditions in place.
This puts greater impetus on Jio to offer more platforms like Hotstar, Zee5 and Sony as the OTT apps on its broadband service, which also cater to TV programs streaming on DTH networks, could be part of the yet to announced ‘TV Plus’ package.
We still don’t know the OTT platforms that Jio will bundle with its broadband service. However, local apps like Eros Now and Alt Balaji are expected to be part of the bundle in the near future, considering Jio has invested in both these entertainment companies.
Lack of TV channels on JioFiber might not affect its millennial userbase, but the elders in the house, and also households where regional content is preferred, might have to stall their decision to cut the cord from services like Tata Sky and Hathaway cable TV.
Reliance Jio is reaching out to its existing 5 lakh JioFiber users and transitioning them to paid plans in a gradual manner. While the set-top box and router are bundled for free (with the Welcome Offer), to get the HD or 4K TV you’ll have to spend big on a monthly basis and stay in the JioFiber ecosystem for a long time.
The bundled service is likely to become the game changer for the broadband sector, something that Airtel has realised, which is why it has introduced the Xstream TV box. Broadband players like ACT Fibernet are offering similar hardware products, with data plans in tow.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)