JioHotstar launches overseas with entertainment-only lineup, skipping live sports
JioHotstar, Reliance Industries' streaming service, is expanding to the UK, Canada, and Singapore with over 160,000 hours of entertainment content but no live sports, citing existing rights deals. The service replaces Hotstar in these markets starting September 2, and existing Hotstar users can log in with their current credentials. The company plans to enter additional international markets over time, though the US is not part of this initial rollout.
The international debut follows Reliance's 2024 merger with Disney, which folded Hotstar and JioCinema into one platform for Indian viewers. That consolidation gave the company a dominant position in India's streaming market, with the two services previously accounting for 85 percent of the country's streaming audience.
Pricing varies across the three launch markets, with UK subscribers paying £19.99 quarterly or £69.99 annually, while Canadian users face CA$19.99 quarterly or CA$49.99 yearly. Singapore customers will pay SG$29.98 or SG$69.98. The company estimates more than 4 million potential viewers across these territories and plans additional international expansion beyond this initial wave.
The absence of live sports could reshape how South Asian diaspora audiences in these markets consume streaming content. Viewers who previously relied on Hotstar for cricket may need to seek separate sports subscriptions, potentially fragment