Apple Inc. has formed a new partnership with Bharti Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom provider, in a move that could significantly bolster its presence in the country’s competitive content market.
The collaboration aims to offer free music and video streaming to many of Airtel’s 281 million customers, giving Apple’s services a much-needed boost in a market where it trails behind established players like Spotify and Disney.
The U.S. tech giant, which is increasingly focusing on global revenue from services such as apps, payments, and media, stands to benefit from this deal. The partnership could significantly expand the user base for Apple TV+ and Apple Music in India, a market where Apple has traditionally concentrated on manufacturing as part of its strategy to diversify its supply chain beyond China.
While Apple produces a substantial number of iPhones in India, its devices account for only 6% of the country’s 690 million smartphones, up from around 2% in 2019, according to Counterpoint Research.
“The move underscores Apple’s ambitions in India,” said Nitesh Kripalani, former head of Amazon Prime Video in India. “This strategy is a proven method to establish a presence in key markets.”
In the U.S., Apple has offered Apple Music for free through some Verizon mobile data plans since 2019. Similarly, its Apple TV+ service will be included in a Comcast streaming bundle starting in May.
In India, Apple Music will soon be available to premium users of Airtel’s Wynk music app, which is slated to close down. Currently, around 7 million Airtel postpaid subscribers have access to the ad-free version of Wynk, but only a small fraction utilize it, according to a telecom industry insider.
Apple Music is better tailored to the Indian market compared to the predominantly English-language content on Apple TV+, offering a range of Bollywood and regional-language songs. However, its music library remains smaller than Spotify’s, according to Counterpoint co-founder Neil Shah.
Spotify currently has around 3 million paid users in India, followed by Gaana with 1.4 million, Wynk with 500,000, and Apple Music with 200,000, according to a music industry source.
Overall, only about 7.5 million people paid for audio streaming services in India last year out of roughly 185 million users of both ad-supported and ad-free apps, according to data from industry group FICCI and consultancy EY.
Airtel will pay Apple a per-user fee that is significantly lower than the $1.20 monthly charge for Apple TV+ and Apple Music in India. In return, Airtel expects to save millions in licensing fees as it phases out Wynk and uses Apple Music to enhance customer loyalty and revenue, according to another telecom industry insider.
“Airtel recognizes that its strength lies in distribution rather than content creation,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Apple remains a minor player in India’s video streaming market, with fewer than 1 million users, according to Counterpoint estimates. Disney+ Hotstar leads with 38 million users, while Netflix (NFLX.O) is estimated to have around 10 million.
Netflix, highlighting India’s potential, has repeatedly stated its goal of reaching 100 million users, though it has not set a timeline.
Apple TV+ is known for original content like “The Morning Show” and “Slow Horses,” but competitors like Netflix and Disney offer more Hindi-language content featuring Bollywood stars and regional films. Additionally, Disney and Reliance Industries’ JioCinema stream cricket, India’s most popular sport, and are merging their Indian media assets to form the country’s largest entertainment company.
Airtel plans to offer packages that include several months of free Apple TV+ access, according to a telecom source. However, while this may help increase Apple TV+’s reach, growth could be limited by the platform’s relatively limited local content, said Counterpoint’s Shah.
