How Indian Streaming Platform JioHotstar Raced to 100 Million Subscribers and What’s Next: ‘We’ve Gotten to a Place Where No One Has Gone Before,’ CEO Says

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India’s JioStar has accomplished a feat that only a few global streaming platforms have done: it more than doubled its subscriber count to 100 million within six weeks of its debut.

This significant milestone signifies an exceptional accomplishment for the platform, born from the $8.5 billion merger of India’s Reliance Industries and Disney’s Indian media assets. The amalgamation integrated Disney’s Star India with Reliance’s Viacom18 and streaming platforms JioCinema and Hotstar. At its debut, JioHotstar boasted approximately 45 million subscribers, with the combined platforms offering around 180-200 million monthly active users.

Currently, Kiran Mani, CEO of Digital at our umbrella organization JioStar, has shared insights into the tactics that propelled our streaming service to amass a staggering 100 million subscribers.

In a remarkably brief period of six weeks, our subscription count surged to approximately 45-50 million. To put it simply, we’ve clearly crossed the triple digit threshold. Mani shares this with EbMaster, adding that even if we say 100 million, I believe we have already surpassed the 100 million mark as well.

Mani explains that the quick expansion of this platform is due to three key fundamentals: ease of access, fostering customer loyalty, and competitive pricing strategies that emphasize value.

As a movie connoisseur, I’ve poured countless hours of strategy and effort into making our app available on a staggering billion devices, encompassing mobile giants, connected TVs, and even being the go-to choice for many. Partnering with over 40 CTV manufacturers and 70+ mobile phone providers was crucial to this endeavor, resulting in approximately 55-60 million active connected TV screens gracing our virtual cinema halls daily.

The second key aspect was offering prospective users an opportunity to preview our extensive content collection before subscribing, as explained by Mani. Essentially, this meant letting people explore a substantial portion of our library for some time. Looking back, this was an unprecedented move among OTT [streamers], but we’re glad we made the choice.

As a budget-conscious movie critic, I must commend JioStar for its strategic affordability in a competitive market. Even after merging two substantial content libraries, it resisted the allure of increasing rates. At roughly INR49 (approximately $0.57) per month, JioStar has become an indispensable service rather than a lavish luxury.

Or, in a more conversational style:

In this tight-budget movie scene, I’m impressed by JioStar’s shrewd move to keep its pricing low despite the temptation to hike rates post-merger of two big content libraries. For just about INR49 (around $0.57) a month, it has transformed itself from a luxury to an essential service.

In India, as Mani notes, it’s essential to provide value before expanding. This is because for platforms like JioHotstar, entertainment has evolved from a luxury to a fundamental requirement – almost a necessity. It’s no longer perceived as a desire, but more like a basic need.

Mani emphasizes that it’s important to remember that loyalty comes before subscriptions; not the other way around. This means we focus on providing access and fostering loyalty first, then offer subscriptions. We aim to keep our subscription prices at a point where customers feel they are receiving good value, as India is a market that values affordability.

The sports programming on this platform, notably the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament, has been instrumental in attracting large numbers of viewers. Recently, the Champions Trophy broke global records for simultaneous viewers for any sporting event, and Mani points out that even routine matches are now surpassing viewership records previously set by major finals.

JioStar is leading innovation in content creation beyond just sports, using its “Sparks” program that invites India’s top 25 creators to develop their unique intellectual properties. This platform features live streaming events such as the recent Coldplay concert and religious events like Mahashivaratri, where broadcasts from 12 temples in India kept viewers engaged from 6 p.m. until after 8:30 a.m. the following day.

The platform is additionally investigating the concept of vertical micro-dramas – brief, episodic content ideal for viewing on mobile devices, which has already proven to generate massive revenues in Asia. According to Mani, “This format is incredibly intriguing, and I’m highly optimistic that it will breathe life into a whole new array of creators and storytellers.

JioStar’s content approach also includes offerings from Hollywood, and they’ve found that by providing international content in various Indian languages, viewership significantly increases. As Mani points out, a trend they’ve observed is the ability of content to be popular across multiple linguistic borders within India. Interestingly, it’s often the Hindi-dubbed versions of Hollywood content that are most watched, rather than the original English ones.

The platform has significantly changed its method of collaborating with telecom companies, seamlessly activating subscriptions that correspond to users’ current telecom plans, eliminating the need for them to handle multiple subscription options. This appears to be a first-of-its-kind occurrence among all Indian telcos, and this shift has resulted in unprecedented growth and unheard-of partnership rates with these companies, as Mani points out.

As we move forward, JioStar is pouring significant resources into AI-driven customization. In simple terms, this means that each time someone like me, my wife, or my daughter opens the app, the experience they have is uniquely tailored to them. Remarkably, this advanced level of personalization has occurred at an unprecedented speed.

The system is also improving user engagement, especially for sports broadcasting, by incorporating elements such as “highlight reels” that let viewers catch quick summaries while consuming extended content. Sophisticated labeling using metadata – cricket matches are labeled with 90 distinct attributes – facilitates advanced voice searches and customized clip collections.

Mani refused to provide an exact date for reaching 200 million subscribers when asked. “To be honest, we never thought the 100 million mark would come so quickly,” he stated. “India continues to amaze us, and we’re incredibly grateful. However, with this achievement, comes a sense of responsibility because we’ve reached uncharted territory. This means that the old rules no longer apply, so if we do reach 200 million, we’ll be extremely thankful, but it also increases our responsibilities.

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2025-04-04 03:47