JioHotstar expands to UK, Canada, Singapore
JioHotstar, the streaming platform of JioStar, has launched in the UK, Canada and Singapore, marking its first major international expansion as the company looks to take its Indian entertainment ecosystem to global audiences.
Amit Malhotra, head of international business at JioStar, said the company’s ambition was to build for a broader global audience rather than simply export an Indian streaming service. The launch brings more than 160,000 hours of content across 12-plus Asian languages to the three markets, spanning films, television, regional programming, reality shows, kids and anime. JioHotstar said it will add more than 30,000 hours of fresh content annually.
Targeting global audiences beyond diaspora
The expansion is aimed at the South Asian diaspora while also targeting a wider international audience interested in Indian stories and culture. JioStar is positioning the service not merely as an overseas extension of its Indian streaming business, but as a global platform built around content discovery, personalisation and audience participation.
The platform is also taking some of its interactive features overseas. Viewers in the UK, Canada and Singapore will be able to vote live across six-language editions of Bigg Boss. Canadian subscribers will be able to watch Bigg Boss Hindi seven days ahead of its television broadcast.
JioHotstar will also stream India Ka Top 1 Percent, a new game show hosted by Anil Kapoor, in Canada and Singapore.
Programming from JioStar’s television network—including Star Plus, Colors, Star Vijay, Asianet, Star Jalsha and Star Pravah—will form another part of the offering. Select shows will be available before television broadcast in Canada and Singapore, while UK viewers will be able to watch popular programmes simultaneously with their TV broadcast.
New pricing strategy
JioHotstar is introducing quarterly subscription plans in all three markets, alongside annual plans. From 2 September, prices will be £19.99 quarterly and £69.99 annually in the UK; C$19.99 quarterly and C$49.99 annually in Canada; and S$29.98 quarterly and S$69.98 annually in Singapore.
The quarterly plans give consumers a shorter commitment and provide JioStar with another pricing option as it competes for diaspora audiences in markets dominated by global streaming platforms.
Existing Hotstar subscribers will transition to equivalent JioHotstar plans using their current credentials, without disruption. UK subscribers with active monthly auto-renewals can continue on their existing plans.
JioHotstar is available on mobile and connected TVs, with subtitles and dubbing across more than 12 Asian languages. The international launch marks the next phase of JioStar’s effort to convert its large Indian content and technology ecosystem into a global streaming business.
