Reliance's JioHotstar expands globally, focusing on streaming minus sports

Reliance Industries’ streaming platform JioHotstar is set to make its international debut, replacing the Hotstar brand in the UK, Canada, and Singapore on September 2 this year as part of a wider global expansion strategy. The move marks the first time JioHotstar, which has over 500 million monthly active users in India according to the company, will operate outside its home market.

The international rollout of JioHotstar will see the service launch with a catalog of more than 160,000 hours of Indian films, TV originals, and reality shows, as well as live TV channels under the Star banner, such as Star Plus, Colors, Star Vijay, Asianet, Star Jalsha, and Star Pravah. Programming will be available in 12 languages including English, Hindi, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, and Marathi, with dubbing and translation options, reinforcing an appeal to Indian and broader South Asian diaspora audiences.

However, a key point of differentiation from JioHotstar’s offering in India will be the absence of live sports at launch. Existing international content deals mean that subscribers in the UK, Canada, and Singapore will not have access to major draws such as the Indian Premier League (IPL), Women’s Premier League (WPL), Indian national cricket matches, the English Premier League, or international tennis tournaments like Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. The company has indicated it may consider adding sports content in these markets in the future but has ruled it out for the initial launch period.

Hotstar users in these three countries will see their current service shut down, but existing login credentials will allow a seamless transition to the new JioHotstar app, which will be available on iOS and Android mobile devices as well as connected TVs via the App Store and Google Play Store. JioHotstar will not, however, return to the US market at this stage. Hotstar previously had a standalone presence in the US before being shuttered in 2021.

Pricing for JioHotstar subscriptions in the UK has been set at £19.99 (about $27) quarterly and £69.99 (around $95) annually, while Canadian pricing stands at CA$19.99 (about $14) quarterly and CA$49.99 (around $36) annually. In Singapore, subscriptions cost SG$29.98 (about $24) quarterly and SG$69.98 (around $55) annually. Although these rates are broadly in line with Hotstar’s current pricing in these regions, the absence of sports content means customers seeking sports will need to look to alternative providers for the time being.

In comparison, in India, JioHotstar subscriptions start at just ₹79 (around $0.80) per month for single mobile device access, rising to ₹2,199 (roughly $23) per year for its highest tier.

The international expansion comes in the wake of Reliance’s $8.5 billion joint venture with Disney announced in 2024, which saw the merger of their media assets and the unification of Hotstar and JioCinema under the JioHotstar brand for Indian consumers. At the time of the deal, the two services represented 85 percent of India's streaming audience.

Reliance sees substantial growth potential overseas, with data from India’s Ministry of External Affairs indicating more than 4 million potential users across the UK, Canada, and Singapore. Amit Malhotra, Head of International Business for JioStar, described the move as an opportunity to “build for this broader, underserved global audience” rather than simply exporting an Indian streaming service.

The launch of JioHotstar internationally signals Reliance’s ambition to capture a growing appetite for Indian content among global and diaspora viewers, though the absence of live sports coverage at the outset sets it apart from its wildly popular Indian counterpart. The company has signaled intentions to expand into additional markets over time, reflecting its efforts to become a major global streaming player.