Reliance Jio, India’s leading telecom provider, has made a major change that will disappoint many of its customers. The company has officially removed JioCinema as a free benefit from its mobile plans. Until now, Jio users enjoyed JioCinema access with both prepaid and postpaid plans at no extra cost. However, with the recent merger of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar to create JioHotstar, this benefit has been discontinued.
JioCinema Removed from Plans, JioHotstar Takes Its Place
JioCinema is no longer an independent streaming platform, which is why Reliance Jio has removed it from its mobile plans. This move was expected after the JioHotstar merger was announced. While JioCinema was a valuable add-on for Jio users, the free version did not include JioCinema Premium.
Only Two Free Benefits Remain with Jio Plans
With JioCinema no longer part of mobile plans, Jio users now get only two additional benefits: JioTV and JioCloud.
- JioTV: A live TV streaming platform that allows users to watch television channels. A premium subscription unlocks access to multiple OTT platforms.
- JioCloud: A cloud storage service for saving files securely.
How to Get a Free JioHotstar Subscription
If you want to access JioHotstar for free, you will need to recharge with select Jio prepaid plans. Currently, Jio offers free JioHotstar subscriptions with the ₹195 and ₹949 plans.
Benefits of Jio’s ₹195 Plan
- Validity: 90 days (3 months)
- Data: 15GB high-speed data (for the full duration)
- Free JioHotstar subscription for 90 days
Benefits of Jio’s ₹949 Plan
- Validity: 84 days
- Data: 2GB per day
- Calls: Unlimited calling
- SMS: 100 messages per day
- Free JioHotstar subscription for 3 months
Jio users who relied on JioCinema for entertainment will now have to opt for JioHotstar. The removal of JioCinema from Jio’s mobile plans marks a big shift in the company’s OTT strategy.
