Reliance launches JioHotstar in UK without live sports rights

Reliance Industries is replacing its Hotstar application with JioHotstar in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Singapore starting September 2. The new platform launches with over 160,000 hours of entertainment but notably excludes the live sports programming that anchors its massive domestic user base.

In India, the merged entity commands 85 percent of the streaming audience largely by broadcasting major cricket tournaments and global tennis events. The absence of these live events in Europe underscores how difficult it is for foreign media conglomerates to secure premium athletic broadcasting rights in established markets.

Instead of live athletics, the UK rollout relies on Indian films, television originals, and reality programming like "Bigg Boss" across 12 languages. JioStar estimates a target audience of more than 4 million people across the three launch countries, aiming to capture the South Asian diaspora while testing broader cultural appeal.

Amit Malhotra, head of international business at JioStar, framed the expansion as a strategic pivot rather than a simple geographic extension. “South Asian audiences have a deep connection with Indian entertainment across languages, generations, and households,” Malhotra said. “We see an opportunity to build for this broader, underserved global audience, not simply export an Indian streaming service to new markets.”

The international push follows a massive corporate restructuring in 2024, when Reliance combined its media assets with Disney in an $8.5 billion joint venture. That deal merged the Hotstar and JioCinema platforms to create JioHotstar, consolidating the company's grip on the Indian consumer market before looking outward.

Subscribers in the UK will pay £19.99 for a quarterly plan or £69.99 annually, matching previous Hotstar pricing despite the reduced content offering. This pricing strategy reveals the challenge of maintaining margins when a core product pillar is missing, especially when domestic Indian subscriptions start at less than a dollar a month.

Existing Hotstar users in the UK will retain their login credentials on the new application, which is available on mobile devices and connected televisions. The company did not rule out eventually adding live sports to the international lineup once current content deals expire, though it is skipping the United States in this initial phase.