JioHotstar Launches In International Markets; UK, Canada & Singapore First To Get It

India's JioHotstar has launched internationally in the United Kingdom, Canada and Singapore, marking its first expansion beyond India under the JioHotstar brand. The rollout took effect on September 2, with the JioHotstar app replacing the existing Hotstar service in all three markets.

Owned by JioStar, the platform will offer more than 160,000 hours of content across over 12 Asian languages, along with subtitles, dubbing, personalised recommendations and interactive features, the company said in a statement.

New app, existing subscribers

Hotstar will 'cease to exist' in the UK, Canada and Singapore, with users required to migrate to the new JioHotstar app. According to the company, existing Hotstar login credentials will continue to work on the new platform, with subscription plans converting automatically to the corresponding JioHotstar tier. In the UK, subscribers on existing monthly plans can retain them for as long as auto-renewal stays active, though monthly plans are not being offered to new subscribers in any of the three markets going forward.

Revised pricing

Effective September 2, JioHotstar's subscription pricing in the new markets is as follows:

- UK: £19.99 per quarter, £69.99 annually

- Canada: C$19.99 per quarter, C$49.99 annually

- Singapore: S$29.98 per quarter, S$69.98 annually

The launch catalogue includes JioHotstar Originals such as Asur, Special Ops, Criminal Justice, Heartbeat and Resort, alongside films including Dhurandhar, 12th Fail and Chhichhore. New originals slated for the international audience include Ali Baba Aur Chaalis Bhoot, Prince of Mollywood, Part Timers and The Court.

Reality franchise Bigg Boss will stream across six languages, with viewers in all three markets able to cast live votes for the first time, a feature previously unavailable outside India. Audiences in Canada and the UK will also get a 24/7 live feed, and Canadian viewers will be able to watch Bigg Boss Hindi seven days ahead of its television broadcast. Viewers in the UK will have access to select shows simultaneously with their television broadcast, through JioStar's 'Before-TV' feature spanning channels including Star Plus, Colors, Star Vijay, Asianet, Star Jalsha and Star Pravah.

No live sports after launch

Live sports, including the Indian Premier League, Women's Premier League and Indian cricket team matches, which anchor JioHotstar's audience in India, will not be part of the international launch. The company attributed this to existing content rights arrangements in those markets, without ruling out adding sports later.

JioStar said the service is designed to "resonate deeply with the South Asian diaspora while appealing to a broader global audience," and added that it plans to add over 30,000 hours of fresh content annually across the three markets. The company said it will expand into additional international markets over time, though no further markets or timelines have been specified.