Viacom18 inks multi-year content deal with NBC Universal

Viacom18 — owned streaming service JioCinema has inked a multi-year content deal with NBCUniversal (NBCU) to bolster its premium content library. As part of the partnership, JioCinema will get access to thousands of hours of NBCU films and TV series to India.
The content portfolio includes titles from Universal Television, UCP, Universal International Studios, Universal Television Alternative Studio, Sky Studios, DreamWorks Animation, Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Bravo, and more.

NBCU’s programming will be available as a Peacock branded hub starting next month under the JioCinema Premium SVOD tier. Recently, JioCinema had launched a premium paid service for Hollywood content priced at Rs 999/year.

"This partnership leverages JioCinema’s reach and expertise to introduce Indian audiences to the Peacock brand and NBCU’s portfolio, while JioCinema cements its position as the largest OTT service in the market, now reinforced by an unprecedented volume of best-in-class films and series from NBCU," Viacom18 said in a statement.

Indian audiences can also enjoy Peacock Originals including Bel-Air, a dramatic reimagining of the ‘90s comedy series that starred Will Smith; Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin, a spin-off series starring Adam Devine who reprises his character from the hit film; and The Calling, an investigative drama series from Emmy® winner David E.
Kelley, directed and executive produced by Oscar® winner Barry Levinson, and co-composed by Oscar® winner Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro. Critically acclaimed dramas and comedies from NBCU’s vast library, including Downton Abbey, Suits, The Office, Parks and Recreation and The Mindy Project, are also a part of this deal.

Fans of reality television will also be able to indulge in all the drama, laughter, and emotional highs and lows found in NBCU’s unscripted series. Encompassed in the deal are shows like the hugely popular The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules; in addition to Family Karma, which follows seven Indian-American friends as they navigate life, love, careers and expectations of their traditional families; and The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, a transformational show – narrated by Amy Poehler – where three Swedes (an organizer, a designer and a psychologist), known as the ‘Death Cleaners,’ come to America to help people face mortality and remind us of all the ways we are alive.

Further contributing to JioCinema’s impressive SVOD lineup at launch will be the streaming premieres of movies from the iconic Hollywood studio, which has already amassed more than $2 billion at the global box office so far in 2023.

This includes DreamWorks Animation’s Oscar®-nominated Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and the sci-fi horror film M3GAN, from James Wan (producer of The Conjuring, Annabelle) and Blumhouse. Joining these recent hits will be films in the blockbuster Jurassic, Bourne, Shrek, The Mummy and Pitch Perfect franchises.

Movies from the Despicable Me/Minions and Fast franchises, including the newly released Fast X, as well as The Super Mario Bros. Movie and the highly anticipated IMAX-shot epic thriller Oppenheimer from Christopher Nolan, will also be heading to the service in the future.