JioHotstar Rolls Out Services In The UK, Canada and Singapore

Expanding its footprint beyond India, streaming giant JioHotstar today said that it is launching its services in the UK, Canada and Singapore. 

The move marks a significant shift for the India-focused streaming giant, which will now also target the South Asian diaspora and wider audiences in the three nations. In a statement, JioHotstar said that it will roll out 1.6 Lakh hours of content across 12+ languages in the new markets.

The content lineup will include webseries, TV shows, films and regional programming. JioHotstar also said that it will add over 30,000 hours of fresh content every year to expand its library for these new geographies.

The streaming giant has also introduced region-specific pricing for the three geographies across two tiers – quarterly and annual. Users in the UK will have to shell out £19.99 (₹2,562) for the quarterly plan and £69.99 (₹8,972) for the annual plan. 

Meanwhile, customers in Canada will be able to avail its quarterly and annual tiers for CAD 19.99 (₹1,365) and CAD 49.99 (₹3,415), respectively. The subscription plan in Singapore starts at SGD 29.98 (₹2,235) for three months and SGD 69.98 (₹5,217) for a year. 

“… South Asian audiences have a deep connection with Indian entertainment across languages, generations and households. At the same time, audiences globally are increasingly seeking stories and cultures beyond their own. We see an opportunity to build for this broader, underserved global audience – not simply export an Indian streaming service to new markets,” said JioStar’s head of international business Amit Malhotra.

JioHotstar said that it is betting on product experience, technology, dubbed content and the demand for vernacular content among the Indian diaspora to power its international foray.

The platform is using a mix of new originals, iconic franchises and early TV access to attract subscribers in these three markets. In Singapore and Canada, popular daily soaps will be available before TV, while key shows will stream simultaneously with their TV broadcast in the UK.

With this, JioHotstar appears to be trying to convert cultural affinity into a sticky streaming proposition in the three markets. The launch is also expected to act as a test bed for tracking the demand for JioStar’s products.

This comes nearly two years after Disney and Reliance officially signed agreements to create a joint venture (JV), merging Viacom18 with Star India Private Limited. Since then, the combined JioStar entity has become one of the biggest entertainment giant in the country, with more than 100 channels under its belt.

Streaming arm, JioHotstar, has also grown alongside. The platform currently claims to have a library of more than 3 Lakh hours of programming and 50 Cr monthly average users. In its Q1 FY27 results, Reliance had also said that its newly launched microdrama vertical Tadka crossed 10 Cr active users within two months of launch.

JioHotstar’s international foray comes amid intensifying competition in the Indian OTT space. From Netflix and Amazon Prime to Zee5 and SonyLIV, streaming platforms are aggressively rolling out new content slate and offering lower subscription tiers to woo and retain users in India. 

Just last month, rival Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said that India is central to the company’s global strategy and launched a new programme to train and support creators across animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC). Homegrown Zee5 also recently locked both TV and digital rights for the now-over 2026 FIFA World Cup to capture the on-demand sports segment. 

At the heart of all this is the Indian OTT streaming ecosystem, which is being driven by affordable mobile data, widespread smartphone adoption, 60 Cr OTT users and the demand for vernacular content. As per reports, the homegrown OTT market is expected to become a $27 Bn opportunity by 2033.

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