Reliance Industries has officially launched JioHotstar in the UK, Canada, and Singapore—marking the company’s first global expansion of its streaming empire beyond India. Starting September 2, Hotstar’s existing users in those three markets will need to switch over, as the Hotstar app will be phased out there. For the meantime, users can log in to JioHotstar with their current credentials. The app will be accessible on connected TVs and through major mobile platforms globally.
The service brings over 160,000 hours of entertainment—films, television originals, reality TV including Bigg Boss, and live TV channels under the Star umbrella like Star Plus, Colors, Star Vijay, Asianet, Star Jalsha, and Star Pravah—all in 12 languages with dubbed and translated content. But it’s launching without live sports programming—a major omission given sports have fueled viewership in India.
Why No Sports (For Now)
Key sporting events such as the Indian Premier League (IPL), Women’s Premier League, India’s national cricket matches, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and domestic leagues like kabaddi and hockey play a big role in JioHotstar’s content strategy in India. But existing licensing deals globally prevent inclusion of live sports at launch in the UK, Canada, and Singapore. The company hasn’t ruled out adding sports later.
Pricing & Market Strategy
Subscription tiers are nearly identical to the previous Hotstar pricing. In the UK, plans will cost £19.99 quarterly or £69.99 annually; in Canada CA$19.99 quarterly or CA$49.99 annually; and in Singapore SG$29.98 quarterly or SG$69.98 annually. All these plans offer entertainment-only content initially. Users desiring live sports may need to pay for an additional service.
That contrasts sharply with India’s pricing: JioHotstar users there can subscribe for as little as ₹79 (~US$0.80) per month for a mobile-only plan, up to ₹2,199 (~US$23) for the top-tier annual plan.
This global move stems from Reliance’s 2024 merger of its media assets with Disney, forming an $8.5 billion joint venture. That merger also merged Hotstar and JioCinema brands for Indian users. Together, those platforms once accounted for 85% of India’s streaming viewership.
JioHotstar’s leadership sees a growing opportunity in catering to South Asian audiences abroad and non-South Asian viewers interested in global storytelling. Across the UK, Canada, and Singapore, there’s an estimated potential audience of over 4 million people based on Indian Ministry of External Affairs data.
What this means: The international rollout without live sports is a bold, careful first step. It shows confidence in entertainment content to carry overseas expansion, even if one of its biggest draws is tucked away for now. As JioHotstar builds its presence, it’ll need to contend with mature global streaming entrants, satisfy diverse language preferences, and most crucially, unlock those sports rights—future additions that may hinge on complex licensing and deeply tied audience expectations. The success of this launch could shape how other regional giants attempt global growth strategies.
