Now, free Video Streaming in some Trains with PressPlay TV
PressPlay TV has tied up with North Western Railway to offer free VoD service on Delhi-Bikaner bound Bikaner Intercity, and Delhi-Udaipur bound Chetak Express respectively.
“The company is in talks with Northwestern Railways to offer this service on 30 more trains in the next quarter. The service is absolutely free,” PressPlay TV co-founder and COO George Abraham said in a statement.
PressPlay TV offers content such as movies, songs, and news that users access through its Wi-Fi hotspots. To access the content, users need to install its free Android application. This content is hosted locally at PressPlay TV hotspot, so it does not need to connect to the Internet.
The PressPlay TV app automatically downloads when phone is connected to the hotspot, and users can start streaming movies and videos for free without using their mobile data, the company said.
INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER JOISTER WANTS TO EQUIP ALL RAILWAY STATIONS IN MAHARASHTRA WITH FREE WI-FI
After launching free wi-fi facility at about 500 locations in four major cities of Maharashtra, leading broadband and gaming service provider Joister Infomedia has offered to provide free wi-fi at all railway stations in the state.
Joister Infomedia, which is currently giving free wi-fi facility to about two lakh registered users in Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Navi Mumbai, has approached Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) with a proposal in this regard.
“We appreciate Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s move of ‘Digital India’ campaign and to lend our bit of support, we have sought permissions from the Central Railway and Western Railway to give free wi-fi facility at all railway stations in Maharashtra,” said Nikunj Kampani, chairman and managing director, Joister Infomedia.
“It would be really encouraging if domestic players like us are also given equal chance to partner in Digital India initiative, just as foreign companies like Google has been given,” he said.
A senior railway official confirmed that Joister Infomedia’s proposal has been received, and said only the Railway Board or Railway Ministry can take a call on it.
Kampani said the company’s objective is to connect more and more people with the Internet.
“It’s all about empowering via a digital platform. No contracts, no hidden fees and no fine print. We keep everything as simple and transparent as possible. It is very important to eliminate the digital divide in the country, as the total population of India is 126 crore, out of which only 36 crore people are able to avail the Internet,” he said.
The company recently launched its free wi-fi service at Nair Hospital and KEM Hospital in Mumbai and Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation. It aims to expand its services to 30 more cities, including Solapur, Satara, Sangli, Chiplun, Nashik and Nagpur, in the next six months, he said.
Internet giant Google had last year announced to provide free wi-fi facility at 400 railway stations in the country.
Here’s a verified update on Indian Railways offering free in‑train video streaming via PressPlay TV—part of a new initiative to enhance passenger experience:
📺 Free Video Entertainment in Trains with PressPlay TV
- In February 2025, PressPlay TV partnered with North Western Railway to offer free Video-on-Demand (VoD) streaming in select trains, including:
- Delhi–Bikaner Intercity Express (22471/22472)
- Chetak Express (Delhi–Udaipur, 12981/12982)
- Passengers in air‑conditioned coaches could connect to a local Wi‑Fi hotspot installed by PressPlay. Once connected, the PressPlay app automatically loaded and offered:
- Movies, TV shows, short clips, devotional and regional content
- Streaming without using mobile data
- Downloads cached locally, playable even after disembarking
- The service was completely free, supported by advertisements, with plans to expand to around 30 trains in the following quarter
🌐 How It Worked and Why It Mattered
- Each coach hosted a PressPlay Wi‑Fi box (roughly double size of a set-top box), acting as a local content server and router. These devices were regularly refreshed with new content every 30–45 days and maintained with periodic checks on trains
- The aim was to replicate an in‑flight entertainment experience using passengers’ smartphones—avoiding data usage and reliance on mobile networks (
3G/4G) - According to PressPlay, they operated over 2,500 hotspots nationwide, spanning trains, buses, stations, and hospitals, and had plans to scale beyond 3,000 soon
🧭 Broader Content-on-Demand (CoD) Strategy
- In March 2025, Indian Railways proposed rolling out a formal Content on Demand (CoD) platform across coaches and stations, potentially adding:
- TV serials, games, news, devotional music, educational clips, gaming
- The plan included pilot rollout to 30% of trains in Year 1, 60% in Year 2, and nearly full coverage by Year 3, via public/private partnerships and tenders inviting content providers and telecoms
- Estimated investment ranged from ₹38,000 per coach for offline content setups up to ₹25 lakh per coach for full online streaming capabilities
✅ In Summary
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Partner | PressPlay TV & North Western Railway |
| Trains Covered | Delhi–Bikaner Intercity, Chetak Express (others planned) |
| Usage | Free VoD streaming via in-coach Wi‑Fi without data usage |
| Content Types | Movies, shows, short clips, music, devotional content |
| App Behavior | Auto-download on Wi‑Fi connect; cached locally for offline playback |
| Future Plans | Expand to ~30 trains; potential rollout under Railways CoD policy |
| Revenue Model | Ad-supported, possibly moving to paid premium offerings |
✳️ Why This Matters
- First initiative to introduce entertainment-as-a-service on Indian Railways journeys.
- Designed to reduce boredom for long-distance travelers and offer value-add services.
- Foreshadowed broader CoD strategy that could shift non-fare revenue and passenger satisfaction.
Would you like to know if CoD services were ever expanded beyond these initial trains, or how you could connect to such Wi‑Fi systems during travel?
