JioHotstar expands to UK, Canada, and Singapore without live sports
Reliance’s streaming arm launches globally with 160,000 hours of entertainment, excluding the cricket and football that drive its Indian user base.
Reliance Industries is taking its JioHotstar streaming service outside India for the first time, launching in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Singapore on 2 September 2026. The move replaces the existing Hotstar brand in these regions, marking the first international rollout of the platform formed by the 2024 merger of Reliance’s media assets with Disney.
The global debut presents a distinct contrast to the service’s domestic offering. While JioHotstar relies heavily on live sports, including the Indian Premier League and the English Premier League, to drive its 500 million monthly active users in India, the international launch will exclude live sports entirely. The company cited existing content deals as the reason for the omission, though it has not ruled out adding sports in the future.
At launch, the platform will offer more than 160,000 hours of entertainment content, including Indian films, TV originals, and live channels under the Star banner. The library is available in 12 languages, including English, Hindi, and Malayalam, with dubs and translations provided to cater to diverse audiences.
Pricing for the new service is set at £19.99 quarterly in the UK, CA$19.99 in Canada, and SG$29.98 in Singapore. These rates are comparable to previous Hotstar subscriptions, although the exclusion of sports means subscribers may need to pay for additional services to access major sporting events.
JioStar confirmed that the Hotstar app will cease to exist in the three launch markets, with users required to migrate to the JioHotstar app on mobile devices and connected TVs. Existing login credentials will remain valid, easing the transition for current subscribers.
Data from India’s Ministry of External Affairs suggests the service targets an audience of more than 4 million people across the three countries. JioStar’s Head of International Business, Amit Malhotra, stated the company aims to build for a broader, underserved global audience rather than simply exporting an Indian streaming service.
