JioStar, a new joint venture formed by the merger of Viacom18 and Star India, has launched JioHotstar, combining JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar. According to the company, the platform now offers nearly 300,000 hours (3 lakh hours) of content and serves a user base exceeding 500 million (50 crores).
In February 2023, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), Viacom18, and Disney announced a joint venture to merge Viacom18 and Star India. The deal, valued at ₹70,352 crore (US$8.5 billion), was finalized in November 2024. JioHotstar’s new brand identity symbolizes its vision for limitless entertainment. The ‘Big Bang’ represents the dawn of a new era, while the ‘Ripples’ radiating outward signify energy, transformation, and innovation.
JioHotstar brings together the best of Hollywood and international content from major studios, including Disney, NBCUniversal Peacock, Warner Bros. Discovery HBO, and Paramount. This unique consolidation offers an unparalleled streaming experience, making JioHotstar one of the few platforms globally to provide content from all these major studios.
JioHotstar has also launched ‘Sparks’, a flagship initiative that showcases India’s biggest digital creators through innovative and engaging formats.
JioHotstar Plans
JioHotstar continues to offer Mobile, Super, and Premium plans, including flexible 3-month and annual subscriptions. The Premium plan is also available on a monthly basis.
Current JioCinema subscribers will receive a JioHotstar Premium subscription for the same duration as their existing JioCinema plan. JioCinema subscriptions will no longer be renewed from February 15, 2025. Once their JioCinema subscription expires, users can select a JioHotstar plan. Users with both JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar subscriptions will receive JioHotstar Premium for the duration of their JioCinema subscription. After it expires, their Disney+ Hotstar subscription will continue as usual.
Speaking on the launch of JioHotstar, Kiran Mani, CEO – Digital, JioStar said, “At the core of JioHotstar is a powerful vision—to make premium entertainment truly accessible to all Indians. Our promise of Infinite Possibilities ensures that entertainment is no longer a privilege, but a shared experience for all. By integrating AI-driven recommendations and offering streaming in over 19 languages, we are personalizing content like never before.”
Kevin Vaz, CEO – Entertainment, JioStar, while elaborating on the entertainment offering, added, “JioHotstar is setting a new benchmark for digital-first entertainment. The platform is immersive, inclusive, and audience centric. While we have endless entertainment to offer, we are committed to continually innovate and elevate storytelling, ensuring that every Indian, regardless of language, discovers content they love.”
Emphasizing the platform’s transformative role in sports, Sanjog Gupta, CEO – Sports, JioStar, said, “Sports in India is more than just a game – it’s a shared experience that unites millions. JioHotstar is revolutionizing how fans experience live sports, combining the best of technology, access, storytelling, and innovation with the fan at the heart of everything. Whether it’s the pride in India Cricket, the electric atmospherics of Premier League, passion for India’s indigenous sports or exposure for grassroot-level competitions, we will deliver a range of experiences, catering to both ‘lean in’ and ‘lean back’ behaviours across a billion screens. We are now taking this philosophy beyond sports by bringing culture-defining live experiences to our audiences. The overwhelming response to Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres live-stream has set us off on this exciting new journey towards infinite possibilities.”
