JioHotstar enters UK, Canada and Singapore as it expands global footprint

JioHotstar will begin streaming content to the UK, Canada and Singapore from Wednesday, the popular OTT platform said, targeting the South Asian diaspora in its global foray. 

JioHotstar’s entertainment catalogue will include over 160,000 hours of content in more than 12 languages and multiple genres with personalised recommendations, interactive features and flexible subscription options. 

“For audiences in the UK, Canada and Singapore, JioHotstar brings together premium Indian entertainment in a single destination, spanning television, films, regional programming, non-fiction, kids and anime,” the platform said. 

“Designed to resonate deeply with the South Asian diaspora while appealing to a broader global audience seeking diverse stories, languages, and cultures, the platform will continuously expand with over 30,000 hours of fresh content added annually,” JioHotstar said in a press release.

It will be available across mobile and connected TV and the app will be available on the Apple App store and Google Play Store across the three markets. 

In the UK, it is priced at £19.99 quarterly and £69.99 annually; in Canada at C$19.99 quarterly and C$ 49.99 annually and in Singapore at S$ 29.98 quarterly and S$ 69.98 annually. 

Amit Malhotra, head – international business, JioStar, said in the release, “Streaming has spent the last decade competing on the size of its catalogue. We believe the bigger opportunity now is to reimagine how audiences experience entertainment; not just what they watch, but how they discover, engage with and shape the experience in real time.” 

He added that South Asian audiences have a deep connection with Indian entertainment across languages, generations and households. At the same time, global audiences are increasingly seeking stories and cultures beyond those of their own. 

“We see an opportunity to build for this broader, underserved global audience – not simply export an Indian streaming service to new markets,” he added.

Malhotra said that as the platform expands internationally, it will aim to showcase “what becomes possible when scale, language, cultural diversity, personalisation and deeper audience participation are built into the streaming experience from day one”.