Apple to expand user base of Apple TV+ and Apple Music in India after partnering with Airtel

Apple's partnership with Airtel in India will give the iPhone maker a much needed boost in a content market where it lags far behind Spotify and Walt Disney. The technology giant is set to offer free music and video streaming to many of Bharti Airtel's 281 million customers. The deal is likely to greatly expand the user base for Apple TV+ and Apple Music in the country.

As Counterpoint Research data highlighted, Apple builds many of its iPhones in India yet its handsets make up just 6% of the country's 690 million smartphones, versus around 2% in 2019.

"The move speaks of Apple's ambitions for India," said Nitesh Kripalani, former head of Amazon Prime Video in India. "The strategy is a time-tested method to catapult presence in markets it considers important."

In the U.S., Apple has offered Apple Music for free via some Verizon mobile data plans since 2019, and its Apple TV+ will feature in a Comcast streaming bundle from May. In India, Apple Music will become available to premium users of Airtel's Wynk music app. The Wynk app is eventually closing.

Apple Music is more tailored to the Indian market compared with the mostly English Apple TV+ with content including Bollywood and regional-language songs. It library is however smaller than Spotify's, said Counterpoint co-founder Neil Shah.