JioHotstar enters Middle East and North Africa through exclusive partnership with STARZPLAY

JioHotstar has expanded its international presence with its entry into the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The move follows its launch in the UK, Canada and Singapore, adding another key market with a large South Asian audience to the platform’s growing global footprint. Through an exclusive partnership with STARZPLAY, JioHotstar will be available as a dedicated streaming destination on the STARZPLAY app and website.

The partnership combines JioHotstar’s content library with STARZPLAY’s regional reach and understanding of audiences in the MENA market. Viewers will have access to new JioHotstar Originals alongside their India releases, with content available with audio tracks in up to 10 languages. The offering will also include television content from JioStar TV channels, films and reality franchises.

Among the content available to audiences will be the upcoming season of Koffee with Karan and the ongoing season of Bigg Boss across six languages. The library will feature content in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Bangla and other languages, along with a substantial Malayalam catalogue aimed at serving the region’s Malayali audience.

The JioHotstar offering will be available through STARZPLAY’s PLUS plan at AED 34.99 per month. The MAX plan, priced at AED 49.99 per month, will combine the complete JioHotstar entertainment offering with STARZPLAY’s sports portfolio, including major sporting events and cricket.

Commenting on JioHotstar’s expansion into the Middle East, Amit Malhotra, Head – International Business, JioStar, said, “The strong early response to JioHotstar across the UK, Canada and Singapore has reinforced our belief in the global opportunity for Indian entertainment. As we build JioHotstar into a truly global streaming platform, MENA is a crucial next market, with one of the world’s largest South Asian diaspora communities and a deep appetite for entertainment across languages. Our partnership with STARZPLAY allows us to enter the region with scale and bring audiences the breadth of JioHotstar, from new originals and daily television to blockbuster films and iconic reality franchises. This is an important step in taking Indian stories, talent and cultural moments to audiences around the world.”

Speaking about the partnership, Maaz Sheikh, CEO of STARZPLAY, said, “The next phase of streaming growth in MENA will be shaped by platforms that bring the right brands together and make the viewing experience more valuable. Audiences should not have to navigate an increasingly fragmented market to find the entertainment that matters to them. Bringing JioHotstar to STARZPLAY is a strategic investment in that future, combining the strength of India’s storytelling with our understanding of this region and the audiences we serve.”

“Cricket has given STARZPLAY a strong and lasting relationship with South Asian audiences across the region. JioHotstar allows us to extend that relationship beyond the match and into the entertainment households return to every day. Our ambition is to make STARZPLAY the destination where every member of the family finds something they value,” Maaz added.

To mark the MENA launch, the Burj Khalifa was illuminated as part of a launch celebration. JioHotstar’s Big Bang was projected onto the world’s tallest building in a display of colour and light, bringing together JioHotstar and STARZPLAY to mark the platform’s arrival in the region.

JioHotstar continues to explore features such as AI-powered personalisation, conversational discovery, interactive entertainment and in-app commerce. With its expansion into MENA, the platform now has an international presence spanning Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East, with its approach tailored to the audiences in each market.

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