JioHotstar targets global audience with UK, Canada, Singapore launch

Streaming platform JioHotstar has expanded its international footprint with its launch in the UK, Canada and Singapore, offering a catalogue of more than 160,000 hours of content across over 12 languages.

The OTT platform said in a statement that its international offering will feature premium Indian entertainment across television, films, regional programming, non-fiction, kids and anime, targeting both the South Asian diaspora and a wider global audience interested in diverse stories and cultures.

JioHotstar said it plans to add more than 30,000 hours of fresh content every year across the three markets.

The launch will include new originals such as “Ali Baba Aur Chaalis Bhoot”, “Prince of Mollywood”, “Part Timers” and “The Court”, along with films and popular television programmes.

The reality franchise “Bigg Boss” will be available in six languages. For the first time, viewers in the UK, Canada and Singapore will be able to vote live across every edition of the show.

Audiences in Canada and the UK will also get access to a 24x7 live feed, while viewers in Canada will be able to watch “Bigg Boss Hindi” seven days before its television broadcast.

The platform will also bring “India Ka Top 1%”, a game show hosted by Anil Kapoor that tests contestants on logic and reasoning, to Canada and Singapore.

JioHotstar will carry programming from JioStar television channels, including Star Plus, Colors, Star Vijay, Asianet, Star Jalsha and Star Pravah.

Viewers in Singapore and Canada will get before-TV access to shows such as “Anupama”, “Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai”, “Seher Hone Ko Hai” and “Azhagae Azhagu”. In the UK, select shows will be available simultaneously with their television broadcast.

The content library will also feature originals including “Criminal Justice”, “Special Ops”, “Asur”, “Aarya”, “Kerala Crime Files” and “Heartbeat”.

Reality programming on offer will include “Koffee with Karan”, “Khatron Ke Khiladi”, “MTV Hustle”, “Splitsvilla”, “Roadies” and “Cooku with Comali”.

Among the films available on the platform will be “Dhurandhar”, “Chhichhore”, “Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh”, “Kill”, “12th Fail” and “Jab We Met”.

For the first time, JioHotstar will offer quarterly subscription plans in all three markets in addition to annual plans.

In the UK, quarterly and annual subscriptions will cost GBP 19.99 and GBP 69.99, respectively. In Canada, the plans will be priced at CAD 19.99 and CAD 49.99, while subscribers in Singapore will pay SGD 29.98 for a quarterly plan and SGD 69.98 for an annual subscription.

Amit Malhotra, Head – International Business at JioStar, said the company’s international strategy was aimed at going beyond simply taking an Indian streaming service to overseas markets.

“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,” Malhotra said.

He said South Asian audiences had a strong connection with Indian entertainment across languages and generations, while audiences worldwide were increasingly looking for stories and cultures beyond 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.

JioHotstar, which is available on mobile and connected TV devices, will offer personalised recommendations and interactive features, along with subtitles and dubbing in more than 12 Asian languages.

(With inputs from PTI)