Indian Streamer JioHotstar Launches in U.K., Canada and Singapore With Interactive Features
JioHotstar, the streaming service owned by India's JioStar, has launched in the UK, Canada and Singapore, replacing the Hotstar app in those markets with a redesigned platform offering personalisation, interactive features and new subscription tiers. The move marks a significant international expansion for India's leading streamer, shifting the emphasis from simply offering a large content library to reshaping how audiences discover and engage with shows in real time.
The platform brings more than 160,000 hours of content across 12-plus Asian languages, including new originals, film premieres and the reality franchise "Bigg Boss," which for the first time allows live voting from viewers in all three markets. Notably, the popular Indian Premier League cricket coverage will not be included at launch. Existing Hotstar subscribers can migrate their accounts automatically, and JioHotstar has introduced a new quarterly subscription option alongside annual plans, with pricing set from 2 September at £19.99 per quarter in the UK, CAD19.99 in Canada and SGD29.98 in Singapore.
In short
- JioHotstar replaces Hotstar in the UK, Canada and Singapore from 2 September.
- Adds interactive voting, personalisation and new quarterly subscription plans.
- IPL cricket rights excluded from the international launch package.
Explained simply
JioHotstar is an Indian streaming service run by JioStar, a media company formed from Reliance Industries’ JioCinema and Disney’s Star India businesses. It brings together films, television programmes and sport, including shows made for audiences across India’s many languages.
Streaming services compete for viewers by offering distinctive programmes and making them easy to find and watch. JioHotstar’s expansion gives people in the UK, Canada and Singapore access to a broad selection of Asian-language content, while interactive features such as live voting let viewers take part in some programmes.
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