Voot APK

Description

Indian streaming competed for years on Bollywood movies and Zee, Star and Sony television reruns, offering the same content that audiences could already find on cable television. Voot took a different approach when Viacom18 launched it in March 2016: it built the platform around Indian television content that Viacom18 already owned the rights to from its broadcast channels, including Colors TV, MTV India, Nickelodeon India and Comedy Central India. Viewers who missed episodes of popular Colors shows like Bigg Boss or Khatron Ke Khiladi could catch up the same day on Voot without a cable subscription and Voot charged nothing for that access.

The free, ad-supported model differentiated Voot from subscription-first competitors and helped it build up a large user base in a market where price sensitivity made subscription hesitation common. The Voot Select tier added premium originals and early access to select episodes but the basic proposition was free streaming of Viacom18 channel content.

HISTORY

Viacom18 was created through a joint venture between Viacom International and Network18 Group, which gave it broadcasting rights in India and created the content library that would anchor Voot. The March 2016 launch positioned Voot as the digital extension of Colors TV’s programming — a place to watch episodes that had already aired on broadcast rather than a competing content destination.

Original programming on the platform grew with Voot Select, the subscription tier that was launched in 2020. Voot Select Originals added content that was made specifically for the streaming platform, including crime dramas and reality formats. Reliance Industries acquired controlling interest in Viacom18 through a series of transactions between 2020 and 2022 to bring the platform under Reliance’s media portfolio, alongside JioTV and other properties.

In 2023, Viacom18 has completed a merger with Star India’s streaming assets, bringing Voot and Hotstar’s Indian operations under JioCinema, Reliance’s main streaming brand. The consolidation moved a lot of Voot’s content to JioCinema and the Voot brand was phased out gradually through 2024 in favor of JioCinema’s unified platform. The Voot app continued to work for existing users during the transition period, but new content additions moved to JioCinema.

KEY FEATURES

Free Ad-Supported Streaming

Voot’s free tier offers access to Viacom18 broadcast channel content for free. This includes episodes of Colors TV shows, MTV India programming, Nickelodeon India series and Comedy Central India content. Pre-roll and mid-roll advertisements are used to fund the free tier. The catalog includes on-going series with catch-up episodes available within 24 to 48 hours of broadcast air.

Voot Kids

A dedicated children’s section covers animated series and educational content from Nickelodeon India, including Nick Jr. programming and Indian-produced children’s shows. The Voot Kids section uses content filtering suitable for kids and offers a simplified browsing interface.

Voot Select Premium Content

The Voot Select subscription tier adds original series produced for the platform, early access to current season episodes before they air on broadcast, select international content licensed for India and an ad-free viewing experience for content in the Select library. The subscription is a stand-alone purchase outside the mobile carrier plans.

Live TV

Select Viacom18 channels are live streaming in the app, including Colors TV and MTV India. Live streaming is a way for those who do not have access to cable to watch programming in real-time during broadcast.

Download for Offline Viewing

Voot Select subscribers are able to download episodes for offline viewing on mobile devices. Downloads expire after a certain period of time and require an active subscription to continue to be available after the license period expires.

Multiple Language Support

Content is available in Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi depending on the title. Regional language content from Colors branded regional channels include Tamil, Telugu and Kannada programming from Viacom18’s regional broadcast operations.