Apple teams up with Airtel to boost streaming in India

Apple has partnered with India’s second-largest telecom provider, Bharti Airtel, to expand its content streaming services in the country. The collaboration will offer free access to Apple Music and Apple TV+ to millions of Airtel’s customers, boosting Apple’s presence in the rapidly growing Indian digital market. This strategy marks a shift in focus for Apple, which has primarily been emphasising manufacturing in India as part of its effort to diversify production beyond China.

Apple Music will soon be available to premium users of Airtel’s Wynk music app, which is set to close, while Apple TV+ will be included in packages for postpaid customers. India’s streaming market is highly competitive, with Apple aiming to increase its footprint in both music and video services. Despite strong competition from established players like Spotify and Disney+ Hotstar, Apple hopes this partnership will help gain more subscribers.

Although Apple Music includes local Bollywood and regional-language content, its smaller library compared to rivals like Spotify may present a challenge. Apple TV+, known for its original English-language series, currently lacks the Hindi content and localised offerings that dominate the Indian market, making its growth potential uncertain.

The partnership highlights Apple’s broader ambitions for India as it seeks to increase revenue from its services. Airtel, for its part, aims to enhance customer loyalty and boost revenues by leveraging Apple’s premium content offerings, while phasing out its own Wynk platform to focus on distribution rather than content creation.