JioHotstar Expands Globally with Entertainment Content, Excluding Sports

JioHotstar, the streaming platform owned by Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, is launching in the U.K., Canada, and Singapore as part of its first international expansion. The service will offer over 160,000 hours of entertainment content but will exclude live sports such as the Indian Premier League (IPL), Women’s Premier League (WPL), and cricket matches, which have been key drivers of its massive audience in India. This decision is due to existing content deals, though the company has not ruled out adding sports in the future. The absence of sports marks a significant departure from JioHotstar’s Indian offering, where sports dominate viewership. The service will replace Hotstar in these markets starting September 2, with users able to access it via their existing login credentials. Pricing is competitive with Hotstar but focuses solely on entertainment content, requiring separate subscriptions for sports. JioHotstar plans to expand further into global markets over time, offering Indian films, TV originals, and regional languages. The move follows a $8.5 billion merger with Disney’s media assets, combining Hotstar and JioCinema into a single platform. Target audiences include South Asian diaspora communities, with the company aiming to build a broader global audience rather than simply exporting an Indian service.