Marking a monumental leap in global streaming, JioHotstar, India’s premier entertainment destination officially launches in Canada on 2nd September. As the inaugural milestone in its ambitious international expansion, this launch introduces a revolutionary entertainment experience defined by product innovation, interactive viewing and new ways for audiences to discover, watch and participate.
With more than 500 million active users, JioHotstar has built one of the world’s largest entertainment ecosystems, spanning content across languages, genres and formats. As the streaming category has evolved from bigger content libraries to changing expectations around how audiences discover and engage with entertainment, JioHotstar has been building towards this shift in India, combining its scale with technology and product experiences that enable audiences to do more with entertainment.
Home to 160K+ hours of premium content and supplemented by an impressive addition of 30K hours of fresh content every year, JioHotstar arrives not merely as a streaming platform, but as a cultural bridge. It delivers a powerful symbiosis enriching the daily lives of Canada’s diverse local communities, especially its substantial South Asian diaspora with authentic connections to home, while simultaneously projecting the finest global South Asian content onto a prominent international pedestal for audiences who are increasingly seeking diverse stories, languages and cultures. The library spans across blockbuster films, originals, non-fiction, a vast television programming, and more, with a strong line-up of new entertainment, including:
● Genre-Defining New Originals: The originals line-up brings together an exciting mix of stories and genres, across languages such as The Court, Ali Baba Aur Chaalis Bhoot, Prince of Mollywood, Part Timers, and more. From drama and thrillers to comedy and stories rooted in local cultures, the library brings a fresh mix of original storytelling to audiences in Canada.
● Content from JioStar TV Channels and Before-TV Access: Audiences can access content from JioStar television channels, including Star Plus, Colors, Star Vijay, Asianet, Star Jalsha, Colors Gujarati, Star Pravah, etc. with Before-TV access to popular shows such as Anupama, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Seher Hone Ko Hai, Azhagae Azhagu, Siragadikka Aasai, Cooku with Comali, alongside other entertaining shows.
● Bigg Boss, Now Interactive: Starting 6th September, Bigg Boss Tamil, hosted by Vijay Sethupathi, Bigg Boss Malayalam with Mohanlal, Bigg Boss Telugu with Nagarjuna, Bigg Boss Kannada with Kichcha Sudeepa and Bigg Boss Hindi with Salman Khan will premiere together on JioHotstar, with Bigg Boss Bangla already live. For the first time ever, Canada audiences can have their say in the game with LIVE voting across every edition, and 24x7 LIVE Feeds that lets them stay closer to the action, drama and entertainment around the clock.
● Bigg Boss Hindi, 7 Days Before Its TV Premiere: Audiences in Canada can catch all the drama, entertainment and action of Bigg Boss Hindi with Salman Khan, seven days before its TV premiere, bringing them closer to the game and contestants ahead of the television broadcast.
● A New Game Format: Audiences can witness the magic of Anil Kapoor hosting India Ka Top 1 Percent, an all-new format, premiering on 5th September, putting contestants’ logic and reasoning to the test.
This new line-up sits alongside the breadth that JioHotstar is already known for, with one of the most expansive entertainment libraries that brings together entertainment across genres and generations. The library includes award-winning and critically acclaimed originals such as Criminal Justice, Special Ops, Chiraiya, Pritam & Pedro, Asur, Aarya, Heartbeat, Vikram on Duty, Kerala Crime Files, Resort, Muthu Alias Kaattaan; blockbuster reality franchises including Koffee with Karan, Bhojpuri Bawaal, Khatron Ke Khiladi, MTV Hustle, Splitsvilla, Laughter Chefs - Unlimited Entertainment, Roadies, Cooku with Comali; popular and critically acclaimed movies including Welcome to The Jungle, Vaazha, Dhurandhar, Chhichhore, Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh; Kill,12th Fail, Jatt & Juliet 1 & 2, , Carry On Jatta 3, Shadaa, Sardar Saab; offering thousands of hours of entertainment for younger audiences and families.
Designed to make discovering entertainment as seamless as watching it, the platform combines an intuitive, modern interface with ultra-personalised recommendation engines, helping audiences discover stories and shows that are relevant to their interests and languages. The experience is built for Canada’s multilingual audience, with high-quality subtitles and dubs across 12+ Asian languages, including English, Hindi, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, and more; making content more accessible across communities and generations.
Amit Malhotra, Head – International Business, JioStarCommenting on JioHotstar’s international expansion, Amit Malhotra, Head – International Business, JioStar, “JioHotstar has been built in one of the world’s most diverse entertainment markets, where audiences move seamlessly between languages, genres and formats. That scale and diversity have shaped how we think about entertainment, and what it takes to create a platform that can serve millions of viewers every day. As we launch in Canada, we are bringing the experience JioHotstar is known for to a market with a strong connection to South Asian culture and content, connecting audiences to the entertainment they love while also inviting everyone to discover new cultures, stories and perspectives.”
Built around evolving viewing habits, JioHotstar offers flexible subscription options in Canada - a quarterly plan at CAD 19.99 and an annual plan at CAD 49.99. Existing Hotstar subscribers transition seamlessly without any service disruption using their current credentials, while new users can easily sign up directly via the App Store and Google Play Store across mobile and connected TV devices.
From AI-powered personalisation and conversational discovery to interactive entertainment and in-app commerce, JioHotstar has been building experiences that extend streaming beyond simply watching content. With its launch in Canada, JioHotstar is taking not only its entertainment catalogue, but its product and technology capabilities and its vision for the future of streaming, to audiences around the world.
