India's Bharti Airtel is handing out free Apple TV+ and Apple Music subscriptions

Airtel users in India might be in for a treat as Apple TV+ and Apple Music are now free—but only if you're on the right plan.

Bharti Airtel, one of the country’s largest telecom providers, says it has teamed up with Apple to offer complimentary access to its premium streaming services. Its home Wi-Fi customers on plans starting at ₹999 ($11.47) will get Apple TV+ for free, while postpaid users on ₹999 plans and above will score six months of free Apple Music plus Apple TV+—so you can binge “Ted Lasso” while blasting your favourite tracks.

So, why is Airtel doing this? Trust that it’s not just about handing out freebies. This is Airtel making a power move in India’s highly competitive telecom and streaming wars. The company already bundles services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, ZEE5, and Jio Hotstar with its plans. Now, it’s bringing Apple into the mix, offering more premium content to its top-tier customers.

Siddharth Sharma, Airtel’s Chief Marketing Officer, called the partnership a “transformative collaboration” designed to deliver a premium entertainment experience. Apple’s Shalini Poddar echoed the sentiment, saying the deal helps make Apple’s award-winning content more accessible across India.

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But there’s another angle. This could also be a retention strategy. India’s ~$53 billion telecom market is brutal, with Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vi aggressively fighting for subscribers. By throwing Apple’s premium content into the mix, Airtel is making its pricier plans more attractive, especially as consumers get pickier about where they spend their money.

Of course, there’s a catch. The deal is India-only. Airtel operates in 14 other countries, mostly in Africa, but there’s no word on whether subscribers outside India will get the same perks. If you're an Airtel user in Nigeria, Kenya, or any of its other markets, it's possible you might be feeling a little left out.

For now, though, Airtel users in India are getting a solid deal—streaming top-tier Apple content without paying extra.