JioHotstar, the streaming platform backed by Reliance Industries with over 500 million monthly active users, is expanding into the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) through a partnership with Starzplay, one of the region’s largest streaming services, announced Tuesday. This move follows JioHotstar’s recent launches as a standalone service in the U.K., Canada, and Singapore.
Under the agreement, JioHotstar will have a dedicated section within Starzplay’s app and website, offering Indian films, TV shows, originals, and reality franchises in multiple languages. Unlike its standalone launches, JioHotstar’s sports content from India will not be available in MENA. However, Starzplay offers a bundled plan with JioHotstar and its sports content, including cricket, priced at AED 49.99 ($13.60) per month, while JioHotstar is also accessible through Starzplay’s Plus monthly plan at AED 34.99 ($9.50), according to techcrunch.com.
The expansion targets MENA’s large South Asian diaspora, a key audience for Indian entertainment content. This partnership approach contrasts with JioHotstar’s standalone launches in other international markets, reflecting a strategy to leverage established regional platforms. The move aligns with Reliance’s broader goal to build JioHotstar into a global streaming platform after its massive success in India. The inclusion of new JioHotstar originals premiering in MENA underscores the platform’s commitment to localized content offerings.
JioHotstar’s partnership with Starzplay marks its entry into one of the world’s most significant South Asian diaspora markets. The platform’s availability through Starzplay’s Plus plan and the bundled sports offering will be key to attracting subscribers in the region, with pricing set at AED 34.99 and AED 49.99 respectively, as reported by techcrunch.com.