JioHotstar launches in the UK, Canada and Singapore

Reliance-Disney joint venture JioStar has taken JioHotstar to three overseas markets, targeting South Asian diaspora audiences with multilingual streaming, personalised features and flexible subscriptions.

— Source publishedWed, 2 Sept, 2026, 16:33 IST·First seen Wed, 2 Sept, 2026, 16:40 IST·Source Outlook Business

What happened

Reliance-Disney joint venture JioStar has launched JioHotstar in the UK, Canada and Singapore, targeting the South Asian diaspora and wider audiences with

Key facts

  • Over 160,000 hours of content
  • 12-plus languages
  • Over 500 million active users
  • Over 30,000 hours of fresh content to be added annually

Why this matters

JioHotstar’s diaspora-market entry could make local telco, distribution, payments and content partnerships strategically valuable as JioStar scales its international footprint.

What to watch

  • Disclosure of subscriber additions, paid conversion rates, churn, and average revenue per user outside India.
  • Announcements of overseas cricket, IPL, ICC, Bollywood, Disney, or regional-content rights.
  • Pricing changes, ad-supported tier launches, and evidence of password-sharing controls in the three launch markets.
  • Carrier, smart-TV, payments, or retail-distribution partnerships.
  • Expansion into the US, Australia, Gulf markets, or Europe within the next 12 months.
  • Regulatory or content-classification issues in Singapore, Canada, or the UK.
  • Test country-specific pricing, annual plans, and mobile-only tiers against Netflix, Prime Video, and specialist South Asian streaming services.
  • Secure international streaming rights for major Indian cricket, regional-language programming, and simultaneous India releases.
  • Pursue bundles with UK, Canadian, and Singaporean telecom operators, connected-TV platforms, and diaspora-focused retailers or loyalty programs.
  • Use viewing data to localize recommendations by language, region of origin, and household profile.
  • Prioritize subsequent launches in the US, Australia, UAE, and other markets with large Indian and South Asian communities if retention targets are met.