The convenient fiction and the threat of JioTV+

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Editor's note: A Reliance Industries Ltd annual general meeting is theatre. For the 43rd AGM, held on 15 July, the theatre was entirely online. Streaming to millions of Indians interested in India’s richest family putting on a show of corporate success. Of the many remarkable moments, one in particular stood out. When Akash Ambani, the son of Mukesh Ambani, revealed a new service called JioTV+. He put on a fine display, opening 12 apps on the giant screen behind him, from Netflix to Amazon Prime to Disney+ Hotstar to Zee5. Ambani searched for a Bollywood heartthrob, Ranbir Kapoor, which led to a slew of results in the app, pulled from across all 12 streaming apps, and then he clicked play on a movie of his liking. You don’t need to buy Netflix or a Hotstar subscription anymore. You can just subscribe to JioTV+ and watch all of them, using one login. No need for separate passwords and subscriptions. Everything under one roof. Crowd applauds. It’s a seminal moment for video streaming in India. But also not quite true. Let there be no …