The annual JioCinema Premium plan has been quietly launched by the platform, a month after the Viacom-owned streaming service18 introduced a monthly subscription plan that offers access to live videos in 4K resolution without ads (except for sports and live events). The cost of the annual plan is cheaper than those offered by rival services, as well as the original, now-discontinued premium plan. Meanwhile, an introductory offer cuts the price of the newly launched annual subscription by 50 percent.
The streaming platform confirmed the arrival of the new plan on Saturday and the JioCinema website is now offering an annual Premium plan that is priced at Rs. 599. As part of an introductory offer, customers can enjoy a 50 percent discount bringing the subscription price down to Rs. 299. Once the first 12-month billing cycle is over, the platform will charge users the full amount.
According to the company's website, the annual JioCinema Premium plan offers the same benefits as the monthly plan: ad-free streaming of videos including premium content (HBO, Paramount, Peacock and Warner Bros.) in 4K resolution, on one device . Users can also download and view content on their device for offline viewing.
It is worth noting that all three streaming plans will offer ad-free streaming, but the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament and other live sports and events will continue to include ads.
At its current price of Rs. 299, the Premium annual plan offers much better value for money than the Premium monthly plan as the latter renews at Rs. 59. The new Premium annual plan is also much cheaper than the older annual subscription option which was priced at Rs. 999, and was discontinued last month.
Last month, JioCinema introduced a Premium Family Subscription priced at Rs. 149, with an initial offer bringing the subscription price down to Rs. 89 during the first month. There's no word on whether the company plans to introduce an annual version of the Premium family membership plan.
Even at Rs. 59, JioCinema monthly subscription is still cheaper than Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video. A mobile-only Netflix plan starts at Rs. 149 per month, both Disney+ Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video charge customers a monthly subscription fee of Rs. 299, while the annual cost of both streaming services is Rs. 1,499.
