Javed Farooqui (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; March 15, 2025)
JioStar is likely to remove its entertainment content from the Google-owned video streaming platform YouTube as part of its strategy to curb subscriber migration from linear TV to free digital streaming, sources familiar with the matter told ET.
The company may implement this from May 1 but it has not yet taken a final decision, they added.
This will be the second significant decision by the company, which was formed through the merger of Disney’s Star India with Reliance Industries’ Viacom18.
The move follows the company’s decision to place content behind a paywall on JioHotstar after offering premium content, including sports, for free for two years prior to the merger—a strategy that had impacted both pay-TV and subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services.
Pay-TV distribution platforms such as Tata Play, Airtel Digital TV and GTPL Hathway have been urging pay-channel broadcasters like JioStar, Zee Entertainment and Sony Pictures Networks India to remove their content from advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) platforms, including YouTube, which are drawing subscribers away from pay-TV.
With pay-TV subscriptions declining to 84 million paying homes, the broadcasting industry has been exploring ways to reduce churn and grow its paid subscriber base. The TV subscription market is estimated at Rs 40,000 crore, according to a Ficci-EY report.
“We have been actively pushing for the removal of pay content from AVOD platforms. Broadcasters have now recognized that supplying premium content to these platforms ultimately harms the pay-TV industry,” said a senior executive from a leading TV distribution platform, adding that other broadcasters may follow suit.
However, a top executive from a rival network said the company has yet to make a decision on removing content from AVOD platforms. “Putting pay content on YouTube, which is a free platform, is a big mistake on the part of pay-TV channels,” he added.
JioStar’s free-to-air (FTA) Hindi GECs, Colors Rishtey and Star Utsav, which are set to launch on DD Free Dish in April, will also implement a one-year content windowing policy. This means that fresh content from Star Plus or Colors will only become available to Star Utsav and Colors Rishtey audiences a year after its premiere.
Additionally, the company will launch a campaign on its FTA channels to encourage DD Free Dish users to switch to pay-TV. With 40-50 million households relying on DD Free Dish, the platform has significantly impacted the pay-TV subscriber base.
In an interview with ET last year, JioStar vice-chairman Uday Shankar stated that when an industry leader takes bold steps that resonate with consumers, others tend to follow—highlighting JioStar’s influential position.
“With 90 million pay-TV homes and 125-135 million families watching TV daily, it’s clear that TV is far from dead. On the other side, the streaming business offers immense growth potential, with 700-750 million people using mobile phones and consuming data in some form,” he had said.
JioStar recently organized a closed-door event attended by top CEOs of pay-TV platforms, along with the company’s senior management. The primary focus of the discussion was revitalizing the pay-TV industry and expanding the subscription base to ensure benefits for all stakeholders in the value chain.
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Ahead of IPL season, JioStar wants Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea to bundle its subscription with data plans
Javed Farooqui (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; March 15, 2025)
JioStar is in talks with Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) for bundling the streaming platform’s subscriptions with the telecom operators’ data plans ahead of the high-stakes Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, said people familiar with the matter.
With live sports now behind a paywall, the partnerships will be key to JioStar’s goal of reaching over 1 billion viewers across television and digital platforms for the upcoming IPL. In 2024, IPL viewership touched 620 million on JioCinema and 541 million on the Star Sports network.
These tie-ups will allow users to access premium JioHotstar content without having separate subscriptions, the people said.
Experts say bundling OTT (over-the-top) subscriptions with prepaid and postpaid plans will drive telecom data consumption. Free live cricket on JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar fuelled a surge in data usage in the past two years.
“These telecom partnerships will help JioHotstar reach a large internet audience base, especially now that it’s behind a paywall,” said an executive familiar with the talks, adding that the discussions include deals for both mobile and home broadband.
Another person noted that JioHotstar’s content deal with Airtel expired last month, making its renewal crucial for sustaining momentum, especially after the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the first major tournament behind a paywall since JioHotstar’s launch on February 14.
The tournament garnered more than 5.4 billion views, with the India vs. New Zealand final drawing 1.24 billion and reaching a peak concurrency of 61.2 million.
As of December, Jio had 476.58 million broadband subscribers, followed by Airtel at 289.31 million and Vi at 126.38 million), according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India data.
Jio offers JioHotstar access with three prepaid plans—₹100, ₹195, and ₹949—each including a three-month subscription.
The people cited above suggest Airtel and Vi will soon launch similar JioHotstar plans, providing seamless access to IPL and other content once they finalize the deals.
JioStar, Jio, Airtel, and Vi declined to comment.
JioHotstar is owned by JioStar, a joint venture of Reliance Industries, Disney, and Bodhi Tree Systems. Jio, on the other hand, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries.
Currently, JioHotstar offers a few free hours of content for sampling before requiring a subscription. It has three subscription plans: Mobile (Rs. 499/year), Super (Rs. 899/year), and Premium (Rs. 1,499/year). The Premium plan is ad-free, except for live events, including sports.
IPL 2025 is a pivotal event for JioStar, formed through the merger of Disney’s Star India and Reliance’s Viacom18. The media giant is targeting Rs. 4,500 crore in advertising revenue and has secured 20 sponsors, as advertisers look to leverage IPL’s vast reach.
Until recently, live cricket was available for free on Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema, which have now merged to form JioHotstar. The platform currently has over 50 million paid subscribers and 500 million users in total.
The shift to paid streaming is expected to drive growth in the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) segment. According to Media Partners Asia, India’s SVOD subscriptions rebounded to 125 million in 2024 after dipping to 110 million in 2023 and are expected to grow further in 2025 and beyond.