Eros Now's paid subscriptions grew from 5 million at the end of 2017 to 7.9 million in the first quarter of 2018. That's a 58% increase from the previous quarter. Though the company didn't explain the growth in its release for the current quarter, the numbers are most likely a result of telco aggregator apps like Airtel TV and JioCinema, the latter of which is free to consumers right now. However, since that's technically a paid subscription which Jio is providing for free, Eros counts subscribers on that platform as paying subscribers, according to a definition provided in 2017. Paying subscribers, as per this definition, were 7.9% of total registered users, which reached 100 million this quarter. Other financials In Q4 2017, Eros made $5.2 million in profit after tax; this number has grown to $9.4 million in Q4 2018 (Q4 2018 is January to March 2018). Eros Now relies on telecom operators and OEMs for digital distribution. It has tie-ups with telcos like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Vodafone and others. It said in the previous quarter that it expects the number of subscriptions to double by 2019. In February, Reliance Industries Limited, which owns Jio, said that it would invest $150 million in Eros, acquiring 5% equity at a premium on the face value, and pumping in money to produce originals. Eros Now tie-ups In terms of its global expansion, the streaming service said last month that it is now available to Amazon Prime members on Amazon Channels across…
