Bharti Airtel has entered into a strategic relationship with Apple to provide special Apple TV+ and Apple Music deals to its customers in India. Under the partnership, Airtel will offer Apple TV+ content through its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) service, Airtel Xstream fiber.
Airtel Xstream subscribers will be able to access Apple TV+ content through their premium Airtel WiFi and Postpaid subscriptions. This package contains an extensive selection of award-winning drama and comedy series, feature films, documentaries and family-friendly programming available on all screens.
Amit Tripathi, Chief Marketing Officer and EVP Customer Experience at Bharti Airtel, expressed delight for the collaboration, saying, "Apple and Airtel are natural partners that aspire for excellence in customer experience. We also share a vision of meeting the entertainment demands of Indian users. This collaboration with Apple will bring enormous value to our clients, since they will now have access to the best content and entertainment available worldwide."
Along with Apple TV+, Airtel is expanding its music offerings by giving Wynk Premium subscribers exclusive access to Apple Music. Apple Music subscribers will have access to collections of Indian and international music, as well as curated playlists, artist interviews, Apple Music Radio and features such as Apple Music Sing, time-synched lyrics, lossless audio and immersive Spatial Audio.
Oliver Schusser, Apple's Vice President of Apple Music, Apple TV+, Sports and Beats, stated, "We are delighted that Airtel customers in India will soon be able to experience all of the wonderful content on Apple TV+ and Apple Music. With an ever-expanding catalogue of world-class films, television series and music to pick from, we are confident that there is something for everyone."
Although, Bharti Airtel has chosen to leave the music sector and will be closing the Wynk Music app. This action is in line with Airtel's new plan to include Apple Music into its offerings. The choice to end Wynk Music was reportedly made very soon after Apple and Wynk Music declared their cooperation. All Wynk Music employees will become part of the company's larger operations.
While speaking to PTI, the development was confirmed by an Airtel representative, who said, "We can confirm that we will sunset Wynk Music and all Wynk Music employees will be absorbed within the Airtel ecosystem. Airtel users will have access to Apple Music," the spokesperson continued “Wynk Premium members will get special deals for Apple from Airtel."
Since its 2014 inception, Wynk Music has accumulated an estimated 100 million subscribers. Despite its popularity, Wynk Music's closure by Airtel is a part of a larger plan to simplify its services and concentrate on offering better options through alliances like the one with Apple.
The Airtel-Apple relationship will be starting later this year, exclusively for Airtel customers in India. This move comes as the country's large-screen video content viewing continues to rise, indicating a rising demand for high-quality entertainment.
