Nearly nine months after Reliance Industries acquired music streaming platform Saavn, it has now launched JioSaavn, which the company claims is South Asia’s largest streaming, entertainment and artist platform. According to a statement from the company, JioSaavn represents the official integration of JioMusic and Saavn. The new integrated JioSaavn app will be available across all App Stores including the Jio app store, on JioPhone and the website.
Reliance announced the acquisition of Saavn in March 2018, valuing it over $1 billion.
“Jio is India’s largest digital services network with over 252 million subscribers. The integrated app has a massive addressable market opportunity both in India as well as for the Indian diaspora,” the company said in a statement.
With the integrated JioSaavn app, users will have a suite of new in-app products and music experiences, including an interactive lyrics feature, localized vernacular display, custom integrations with concerts and live events, as well as exclusive video content to roll out over the next few months.
The service will be offered on a freemium model in India with all users having access to the ad-supported product. Jio subscribers would enjoy seamless access to the integrated app. Additionally, as part of this launch, Jio users will also get a 90-day extended free trial of JioSaavn Pro, the streaming service’s premium product.
“JioSaavn represents a turning point for the music streaming industry in India, as the country continues to experience accelerated tech innovation, rapid adoption of digital services, and a digital music industry at par with global leaders. Powered by Jio’s advanced digital services infrastructure and complemented by its widespread user base, JioSaavn will be the largest streaming platform in India,” Akash Ambani, Director, Reliance Jio, said in a statement.
JioSaavn will continue to build on Saavn’s original programming and artist development platform, Artist Originals (AO). Saavn’s Original Programming produces and exclusively distributes some of India’s most popular audio podcasts, like ‘#NoFilterNeha‘, ‘Thank You For Sharing’, ‘Take 2 with Anupama and Rajeev’, ‘Talking Music’ and ‘Kahaani Express with Neelesh Misra’.
The Saavn co-founders – Rishi Malhotra, Paramdeep Singh and Vinodh Bhat – continue in their leadership roles to drive the growth of the company. JioSaavn’s team of more than 200 employees also continues to operate out of its five global offices at Mountain View and New York in the United States and Bengaluru, Gurugram, and Mumbai in India.
“Since announcing our merger in March 2018, the Jio and Saavn teams have been working to integrate and reimagine a combined platform in JioSaavn. Today, we have one of the most personalized and capable media platforms in the world, an unmatched content catalog, regionalized editorial and original programming and music that’s redefining how artists and creators connect directly with audiences worldwide,” Rishi Malhotra, Co-Founder and CEO, JioSaavn said in a statement.