The merger of Reliance’s Viacom18 and Disney Star has birthed JioStar, and with it, a serious contender in India’s digital video space.
A Rapid Rise
Within just two months, JioHotstar has expanded its paying subscriber base from 50 million to over 200 million. The IPL 2025 streaming alone drew 34 million concurrent viewers, with ad revenues expected to touch ₹6,000 crore. Backed by 300,000+ hours of content, JioStar has scale and momentum.
The YouTube Benchmark
YouTube still dominates with over 411 million unique users and ₹14,300 crore in annual ad revenue. It remains the go-to platform for both viewers and creators.
The Strategy Shift
JioStar is preparing to remove entertainment content from YouTube starting May 1. The goal: drive traffic and subscriptions directly to its own ecosystem. With bundled data offerings and premium content, it’s betting on exclusivity to shift audience behaviour.
Key Takeaway
JioStar is moving fast, fueled by telco integration, scale, and exclusive content. YouTube still leads, but the balance in India’s OTT market may be starting to shift.