Reliance’s JioHotstar takes its streaming empire global — without sports
Summarized from techcrunch.com
JioHotstar, the streaming platform owned by Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, is expanding internationally for the first time, replacing the existing Hotstar service in the U.K., Canada, and Singapore as part of a broader global rollout. The platform will launch with over 160,000 hours of entertainment content but will not include live sports at launch, citing existing content deals, though the company has not ruled out adding sports in the future. This absence of sports content at its international debut marks a significant departure from JioHotstar’s offering in India, where sports, including major cricket events and the English Premier League, are a major draw for its user base of over 500 million monthly active users.
The JioHotstar app will be available in the three launch markets through the App Store and Google Play Store on mobile devices and connected TVs, with existing Hotstar users able to access the service using their current login credentials. Pricing for JioHotstar subscriptions in the U.K., Canada, and Singapore is comparable to previous Hotstar rates, but customers seeking sports content may need to subscribe to an additional service. JioHotstar’s international launch includes a diverse library of Indian films, TV originals, and reality shows, as well as live TV channels under the Star banner, with content available in 12 languages, including English, Hindi, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, and Marathi. The company aims to cater to the South Asian diaspora while also appealing to a broader, underserved global audience seeking content beyond their own cultures. Source