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Apple Eyes Bigger Slice of India's Streaming, Music Market with Airtel Deal

FILE PHOTO: An Apple logo is pictured in an Apple store in Paris, France, March 6, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An Apple logo is pictured in an Apple store in Paris, France, March 6, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
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Apple Eyes Bigger Slice of India's Streaming, Music Market with Airtel Deal

FILE PHOTO: An Apple logo is pictured in an Apple store in Paris, France, March 6, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An Apple logo is pictured in an Apple store in Paris, France, March 6, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo

Apple is tying up with India's Bharti Airtel to offer the telecom firm's premium customers its music and video streaming services for free, giving the US giant access to thousands of consumers in the world's most populous nation.
With mostly English-language content, Apple TV+ is a small player in India's $28 billion media and entertainment market, where its rivals include Netflix, Amazon Prime Video , Disney+ Hotstar and billionaire Mukesh Ambani's JioCinema.
The move comes as competition tightens in India and an $8.5-billion merger of the Indian media assets of Reliance and Walt Disney - which have a streaming service each - faces close scrutiny from antitrust regulators.
"Apple TV+ will come bundled with premium Airtel WiFi and Postpaid plans," Airtel said in a statement on Tuesday, though the companies did not disclose a deal value for the partnership or information on costs.
Apple Music will also be available for current premium users of Airtel's Wynk music app, which will be shut down. Its employees are being subsumed by the company, Reuters quoted Airtel as saying.
Two sources familiar with the strategy said that for Apple, the deal is aimed at reaching out to a much bigger pool of consumers with its digital services given Airtel is the country's second biggest telecom operator with 281 million subscribers.
Ambani's Reliance Jio telecom service has 489 million users.
The Apple TV+ streaming service, known for its original series like Ted Lasso, The Morning Show and Slow Horses, has so far differentiated itself in the streaming landscape with a focus on in-house content.
Most rival platforms in India and overseas offer users older movies and TV shows from other studios, as well as their own originals.
Airtel will within days announce new tariff plans that will include free Apple TV+ offerings, said two other sources with direct knowledge of its plans.
Currently, the Apple TV+ service retails at $9.99 per month in the US and 99 Indian rupees ($1.18) per month in India, compared to Ambani's JioCinema which offers cricket content for free and has plans as cheap as 29 rupees a month. Netflix starts with monthly tariff of 149 rupees.
Cricket is seen as a way to attract more customers to streaming platforms in India, and Disney lost millions of Indian users last year when it lost streaming rights to Ambani's Reliance for streaming the world's richest cricket tournament, the Indian Premier League.
Apple has 6% of India's 690 million smartphone users, according to data from research firm Counterpoint. The remaining market is dominated by phones from Samsung and Xiaomi, and are powered by Google's Android operating system.
Apple Music is currently priced at 99 Indian rupees per month and has a library of 100 million songs.

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Entertainment

Berlin Film Festival Director to Stay in Role After Gaza Tensions

Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle speaks during the Award Ceremony of the 76th Berlinale, Europe's first major film festival of the year, in Berlin on February 21, 2026. (AFP)
Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle speaks during the Award Ceremony of the 76th Berlinale, Europe's first major film festival of the year, in Berlin on February 21, 2026. (AFP)
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Berlin Film Festival Director to Stay in Role After Gaza Tensions

Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle speaks during the Award Ceremony of the 76th Berlinale, Europe's first major film festival of the year, in Berlin on February 21, 2026. (AFP)
Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle speaks during the Award Ceremony of the 76th Berlinale, Europe's first major film festival of the year, in Berlin on February 21, 2026. (AFP)

Berlin Film Festival director Tricia ‌Tuttle will remain in her role but has been given a set of new guidelines, a statement said on Wednesday, after tensions over Gaza overshadowed the event in February.

Tuttle's future as head of the festival, known as the Berlinale, was in the spotlight last week, with Germany's government convening an emergency meeting to discuss the matter.

German media reports suggesting that Tuttle could be ousted prompted a number of directors, writers and producers to rally around her.

It capped a politically ‌charged festival that ‌pitted anger over Israel's actions in Gaza ‌and ⁠concerns over free ⁠speech against historical sensitivities in Germany, which remains one of Israel's staunchest supporters due to guilt over the Nazi Holocaust.

The supervisory board of the federal body responsible for the 'Berlinale' recommended creating an advisory forum for the event and a new code of conduct for all federal cultural events.

Tuttle said in the ⁠statement she would carefully consider the recommendations.

In the ‌same statement, the government's ‌Commissioner for Culture and Media, Wolfram Weimer, said the new guidelines would boost ‌public acceptance of the festival, adding: "Art and artists should ‌once again be at the heart of the Berlinale."

TENSIONS AT THE FESTIVAL

Germany is particularly sensitive to discussion about Israel and what constitutes antisemitism, which has become more acute following the October 7, ‌2023, attack by Hamas.

During the festival, Tuttle issued a statement defending artists' right not ⁠to comment ⁠on politics after actors and directors - including jury president Wim Wenders - were perceived to avoid such questions at press conferences.

An open letter to organizers signed by over 80 former participants that the festival should take a clear stance on Gaza amplified previous criticism by pro-Palestinian activists.

Tensions culminated during the closing ceremony with a speech by Palestinian-Syrian film director Abdallah Al-Khatib accusing Germany of being "partners in the genocide in Gaza by Israel", prompting a German minister to walk out.

Israel has strongly denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide and says they are justified as self-defense.

Entertainment

An Oscar Race That Looked Like a Runaway May Be a Close Call, After All

Timothée Chalamet attends the 32nd Annual Actor Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on March 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Timothée Chalamet attends the 32nd Annual Actor Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on March 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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An Oscar Race That Looked Like a Runaway May Be a Close Call, After All

Timothée Chalamet attends the 32nd Annual Actor Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on March 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Timothée Chalamet attends the 32nd Annual Actor Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on March 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Who says to beware the Ides of March?

A March 15 Academy Awards may feel late. By then, it will be almost a year since “Sinners” sunk its teeth into moviegoers last April. Some nominees have been on the campaign trail since the Cannes Film Festival in May.

But the upside of a prolonged Oscar race has meant some unexpected late drama. Think about the same movies long enough, and minds can change. For months, Paul Thomas Anderson's “One Battle After Another” sailed through awards season, picking up prize after prize. But the wins for “Sinners” and Michael B. Jordan at Sunday's Actor Awards — along with some other recent developments — have given the Oscar race what Smoke or Stack might call fresh blood.

An Academy Awards that had looked like a runaway might be a close call, after all. With Oscar voting ending Thursday, let's survey the top categories

Best Picture

WHERE THINGS STAND

“One Battle After Another” has won at the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs, the Producers Guild and the Directors Guild. But its nearly unblemished record was shaken up at Sunday's Actor Awards (formerly the SAG Awards), where “Sinners” took the top prize. You'd have to have quite a few rounds at the “Sinners” juke joint to convince yourself that anything else has much of a chance.

WHAT HAS THE EDGE

The tea leaves are strongest for Anderson's “One Battle After Another.” The Producers Guild, which uses a preferential ballot like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences does, is among the most predictive of bellwethers. Their winners have matched the last five years and in eight of the last 10 years.

The actors guild best ensemble prize, on the other hand, has a shaky track record. In the last 31 years, the SAG winner has matched the Oscar champ only 15 times. The win for “Sinners,” though, came right in the midst of Oscar voting. It was a good time to show out. So this race feels close to a coin flip, with a Warner Bros. movie on both sides. The awards season resume makes “One Battle After Another” the front-runner. But “Sinners,” even with a record-setting 16 Oscar nominations, gets to play the underdog.

Best Actor

WHERE THINGS STAND

This has been one of the most competitive and hard-to-call races of the season. Look at Leonardo DiCaprio. He gives one of the best performances of his career, in the best picture favorite, and he's still a long shot. Instead, Timothée Chalamet was widely perceived as in the lead after early wins at the Globes and the Critics Choice Awards for his frenetic performance in “Marty Supreme.” But the BAFTAs muddied the waters (Robert Aramayo, not in the Oscar mix, was the unexpected winner). And “Sinners” star Michael B. Jordan, much to his surprise, won at the Actor Awards.

WHO HAS THE EDGE

Chalamet's maybe meta campaign, full of swagger and braggadocio, rubbed some voters the wrong way. At the same time, many in the academy felt the 30-year-old should have won last year, for his Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown” — a year when he won with the actors guild but lost to Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”) at the Oscars. Chalamet will hope the reverse happens this year. But the academy is notoriously resistant to rewarding young stars. Jordan, 39, isn't much older. But it now suddenly feels like his moment.

Best Actress

WHERE THINGS STAND

Since the fall festival launch of “Hamnet,” Jessie Buckley has been the favorite. She's won at the Globes, the BAFTAs and the Actor Awards. Her closest competition is probably Rose Byrne, who won at the Globes in the comedy/musical category for “If I Had Legs I'd Kick You.”

WHO HAS THE EDGE

This one’s easy. Fortunes have fluctuated in most of the top categories, but Buckley has been entrenched as the front-runner for months.

Best Supporting Actor

WHERE THINGS STAND

Sean Penn, a two-time Oscar winner, has done nearly no campaigning, yet he finds himself the favorite after winning at the Actor Awards and the BAFTAs. But several other nominees remain in the mix. Stellan Skarsgård (“Sentimental Value”) won at the Globes and is the kind of widely-liked veteran actor the academy likes to reward. But so is Delroy Lindo (“Sinners”), who was a surprise Oscar nominee. In the eyes of many, Lindo has quickly joined the contenders.

WHO HAS THE EDGE

Penn's recent wins put him clearly in the lead, and he might stay there. But this remains a category rife with possibilities. The academy's strong international leanings should help Skarsgård. And it wasn't an accident that when “Sinners” won best ensemble at the Actor Awards, Lindo gave the acceptance speech.

Best Supporting Actress

WHERE THINGS STAND

This category has been all over the map. Teyana Taylor (“One Battle After Another”) won at the Globes. Wunmi Mosaku (“Sinners”) won at the BAFTAs. And Amy Madigan (“Weapons”) won at both the Actor Awards and the Critics Choice Awards.

WHO HAS THE EDGE

Any of those three could win. Two of them — Taylor and Mosaku — have the benefit of co-starring in films the academy obviously loves. “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” have 29 nominations between them, while “Weapons” has only the one. Yet the 75-year-old Madigan, another celebrated character actor who's been great for decades, has the momentum thanks to her charming Actors Award speech.

Entertainment

'Sinners' Wins Top Prize at Screen Actors Guild Awards

Delroy Lindo (L) speaks for the cast of 'Sinners' as they won the top Actor Award for best cast in a motion picture from the Screen Actors Guild. VALERIE MACON / AFP
Delroy Lindo (L) speaks for the cast of 'Sinners' as they won the top Actor Award for best cast in a motion picture from the Screen Actors Guild. VALERIE MACON / AFP
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'Sinners' Wins Top Prize at Screen Actors Guild Awards

Delroy Lindo (L) speaks for the cast of 'Sinners' as they won the top Actor Award for best cast in a motion picture from the Screen Actors Guild. VALERIE MACON / AFP
Delroy Lindo (L) speaks for the cast of 'Sinners' as they won the top Actor Award for best cast in a motion picture from the Screen Actors Guild. VALERIE MACON / AFP

"Sinners" scooped the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild gala in Los Angeles on Sunday, tightening the race to the Oscars with two weeks to go before Hollywood's awards season finale.

The honor at the newly rebranded Actor Awards recognizes the ensemble cast of a film -- a decision that sometimes, but not always, presages Academy Award best picture glory, AFP said.

Ryan Coogler's vampire fable about America's difficult racial history, has stormed through awards season, garnering a record 16 Oscar nominations.

"We brought our hearts, we brought our souls, we brought our spirits to this endeavor," said Delroy Lindo, who plays blues musician player Delta Slim, as he accepted the award on behalf of the cast.

"This project is anointed. And from that standpoint, we are all anointed to be a part of this incredible journey created by the genius Ryan Coogler."

It was the first time "Sinners" seized a top prize at a pre-Oscars gala, which have so far been largely swept by "One Battle After Another," including at the Producers Guild Awards on Saturday.

Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle" is a political thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a pot-addled former revolutionary forced back into the game when his teenage daughter goes missing.

"Sinners" may have had the upper hand with SAG-AFTRA, which represents more than 160,000 members -- but that may not hold true in two weeks' time for the Academy Awards.

"I'm not as confident that it's going to win the best picture Oscar," Scott Feinberg, awards columnist for The Hollywood Reporter, told AFP ahead of the gala, after predicting the SAG award win.

"Those two awards have gone to different films just about as often as they have gone to the same film."

- Jordan bests Chalamet -

Voting for the Academy Awards does not close until Thursday, meaning Sunday's results could be influential.

For best leading male actor, Michael B. Jordan pulled off a surprise win in a category that Timothee Chalamet ("Marty Supreme") has dominated all season.

"I'm so honored and privileged to be nominated in categories with people and actors and humans that I love," he said.

"This ride has been unbelievable."

For best leading female actor, there were no surprises when Jessie Buckley's name was announced.

The Irish actress, who plays the grief-stricken wife of William Shakespeare mourning their son in "Hamnet" has so far won nearly every prize on offer.

"I have been categorically changed by so many people in this room and beyond," an emotional Buckley said.

"To get to work with my heart in my hand and stand beside my brilliant, daring friends who show me their heart -- I mean, what a way to spend a life."

- Unpredictable -

The race for the Oscar for best supporting performers became even cloudier after Sunday's gala.

Amy Madigan took home the statuette for best supporting actress for her role as the sinister aunt in horror flick "Weapons," following her success at the Critics Choice Awards.

"I wasn't expecting this, but it does really mean a lot to me from my peers," she said.

The major awards in this category this season have gone to different people -- the Golden Globe to Teyana Taylor in "One Battle After Another," and the BAFTA to Wunmi Mosaku for "Sinners."

For the men, Sean Penn -- who was not at the ceremony -- won for his wild turn as Colonel Lockjaw in "One Battle After Another," following on from his BAFTA win.

The Critics Choice Awards recognized Jacob Elordi for "Frankenstein," and the Golden Globe went to Stellan Skarsgard in "Sentimental Value," who did not even get a SAG nod.

The television side of the awards was dominated by Apple TV's Hollywood satire "The Studio" which won three statuettes, including a posthumous award for Catherine O'Hara, who died in January.

Series co-creator Seth Rogen, who accepted the award on her behalf, said he felt fortunate to have spent time with the actress -- a Hollywood stalwart known for her work in "Home Alone" and "Schitt's Creek."

"Something that I've just been marveling at over the last few weeks was really her ability to be generous and kind and gracious, while never ever minimizing her own talents," he said.

The evening also honored veteran Harrison Ford with a life achievement award for memorable roles that have included Han Solo in the "Star Wars" franchise and Indiana Jones.

"I feel incredibly grateful for this kind attention. But to be clear, I also am quite humbled," said Ford, whose big break came in George Lucas's "American Graffiti" in 1973.

"I'm in a room of actors, many of whom are here because they've been nominated to receive a prize for their amazing work, while I'm here to receive a prize for being alive," the 83-year-old said to laughs.