JioHotstar, the newly launched streaming giant formed by the merger of Disney’s Hotstar and Reliance owned JioCinema, has announced crossing of 100 million paid subscribers. The milestone is significant, considering how every other streaming service in India is struggling to entice paid users, considering the acutely price sensitive nature of the Indian Internet market.
At the time of merger, the joint entity had said of having nearly 500 million users — both paid and unpaid combined — across both the platforms.
“This milestone not only underscores India’s limitless potential but also strengthens our commitment to pioneering category-first experiences at an unprecedented scale. As we continue to innovate and expand, our focus remains on shaping the future of streaming, driving accessibility, and unlocking infinite possibilities for a billion screens”, said Kiran Mani, CEO – Digital at JioHotstar.
The announcement though is no surprise. Formed by the merger of two of India’s largest streaming platforms — surprisingly without much anti-competitive blockade — JioHotstar was expected to reach the milestone sooner or later. Add to that the beginning of Indian Premier League — the most watched sporting league on the planet — and you start to get why 100 million subsribers could just be the start.
JioHotstar was also successful in bringing some world-first streaming ventures to its platform. Most notable of them being the first ever live-streaming of a Coldplay concert — its largest concert to date, the Music of the Spheres World Tour held in India’s Ahmedabad, was live streamed without a glitch, for Indian viewers on JioHotstar — a global first.
Post merger, the cheapest plan starts at ₹149 for three months (₹499 on an annual basis) and will let the user access content on only one mobile device. The next tier is the Super tier, which costs ₹299 for three months (₹899 annually) for a year, letting the user access content on any two devices at a time. Next comes the Premium (ad-free plan), which costs ₹499 for three months (₹1,499 on an annual basis) and letting the user watch content on any four devices.
