JioHotstar Nears Netflix as Subscribers Hit 300 Million

JioHotstar, the domestic streaming giant formed by the merger of Reliance-led JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar earlier this year, has achieved a remarkable milestone. The platform announced that its subscriber base has reached 300 million, positioning it just behind Netflix, which reported 301.6 million subscribers globally as of December 2024.

IPL 2025 Fuels JioHotstar’s Subscriber Surge

A major factor behind JioHotstar’s rapid subscriber growth was the recently concluded Tata IPL 2025. As per company reports, the Indian Premier League helped the platform skyrocket from 50 million subscribers in February to nearly 280 million by May, and 300 million by June.

This season marked several firsts for IPL:

• Digital viewership hit 652 million, surpassing 537 million on television.

• The final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings drew 237 million digital viewers and 189 million TV viewers.

Digital and TV Viewership: A Massive Combined Reach

The total IPL reach across digital and TV platforms was staggering:

• The combined reach touched 1.19 billion viewers.

• Average daily reach: 121 million on TV and 170 million on digital.

• Connected TV viewers: 235 million.

• Mobile viewers: 417 million.

Among TV audiences, 129 million viewers watched via Star Sports HD, and nearly 47% of Star Sports’ audience were women, reflecting IPL’s growing appeal across demographics.

Jiostar’s Monetisation Success Story

Speaking about the IPL’s success, Sanjog Gupta, CEO of Sports and Live Experiences at Jiostar, highlighted the commercial achievements:

“We have made this IPL the most monetised edition ever in India across both advertising and subscription revenue. It’s also the most monetised sporting event in the country’s history.”

This monetisation success came despite a marginal 1.6% dip in TV viewership from the previous edition’s 546 million to 537 million, while digital viewership jumped 5.16% from last year’s 620 million.

Record-Breaking Concurrency and Watch Time

JioHotstar’s IPL coverage broke new records for peak concurrency, with 55.2 million users watching simultaneously during the tournament.

On the television front:

• Overall watch time crossed 514 billion minutes.

• Mumbai Indians led the league in TV watch time with 106 billion minutes.

• RCB topped video viewership with over 330 million views.

Regional Language Growth: Telugu Leads the Way

The 2025 IPL saw significant growth in regional language viewership:

• Telugu viewership surged 87%, the highest increase.

• Kannada viewership rose 65%.

• Tamil viewership grew 52%.

• Hindi viewership increased 31%, making it the slowest-growing among the top languages.

Advertiser and App Engagement Milestones

Jiostar attracted a massive advertiser base:

• 425 advertisers from 40 unique categories.

• 270 debutant advertisers, reflecting the platform’s growing influence.

In terms of app engagement:

• The JioHotstar app saw 1.04 billion downloads on Android, signaling its dominance in the Indian streaming market.

JioHotstar’s Position in the Global OTT Race

JioHotstar’s meteoric rise puts it within striking distance of Netflix, which had 301.6 million subscribers across 190 countries as of the end of 2024. Netflix added over 18 million subscribers during the last quarter of 2024. JioHotstar’s growth trajectory, fueled by major sporting events and aggressive digital expansion, positions it as a strong contender in the global OTT arena.