India’s biggest streamer, JioHotstar, has crossed the Arabian Sea. The company has teamed with Abu Dhabi-based Starzplay to bring its library to the Middle East and North Africa, a region the company sees as key for South Asian viewers living abroad.
The move follows earlier launches in the U.K., Canada and Singapore. Now JioHotstar will sit as its own dedicated hub inside the Starzplay app and website, letting viewers in the region watch new shows at the same time they air in India.
What Is Inside the Package
The JioHotstar lineup includes new original series, daily TV from JioStar’s channels, big-screen hits and major reality formats. Among them is a new season of “Koffee With Karan” and the current “Bigg Boss” season, now airing in six languages.
The mix also runs deep in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Bangla-language titles. The Malayalam catalog stands out, reflecting the size of the region’s audience from Kerala, where it is the dominant language.
Malhotra on the Launch
Amit Malhotra, head of international business at JioStar, framed the expansion as a natural next step after the success of earlier markets.
“The strong early response to JioHotstar across the U.K., Canada and Singapore has reinforced our belief in the global opportunity for Indian entertainment,” he said. “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.”
He described the partnership as a way to enter the region with scale, offering audiences “the breadth of JioHotstar, from new originals and daily television to blockbuster films and iconic reality franchises.” He added that the goal is to take “Indian stories, talent and cultural moments to audiences around the world.”
Sheikh on Why the Pairing Works
Starzplay CEO Maaz Sheikh said the deal fits a broader strategy of pairing strong brands to give viewers more value.
“Audiences should not have to navigate an increasingly fragmented market to find the entertainment that matters to them,” he said. “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.”
He noted that cricket has given Starzplay a lasting connection with South Asian viewers in 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,” he said.
Pricing the Plans
The JioHotstar content lands in Starzplay’s Plus plan, which costs AED34.99 ($9.50) a month. The Max plan, at AED49.99 ($13.60) a month, pairs the full JioHotstar lineup with Starzplay’s sports rights, including cricket.
Starzplay positions itself as the region’s main destination for cricket.
The Burj Khalifa Display
To mark the launch, JioHotstar’s Big Bang visual was projected onto Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. Both brands shared the display.
The Numbers Behind the Deal
Starzplay reports 2.3 million subscribers and more than 18 million downloads across MENA and Pakistan. evision, a unit of e& Group, leads its investor roster, which also includes:
- ADQ
- Lionsgate
- GE
- SEQ
JioHotstar claims 500 million monthly active users. Its library runs to upward of 300,000 hours of programming in 19 languages.
| Platform | Plan | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Starzplay Plus | JioHotstar content | AED34.99 ($9.50) |
| Starzplay Max | Full JioHotstar + sports rights | AED49.99 ($13.60) |
What Comes Next
JioHotstar has also been testing AI-driven personalization, conversational search, interactive formats and in-app shopping. The company says it builds its presence in each overseas territory through whichever model works best for local audiences.
The launch in MENA is a clear statement of intent. JioHotstar is not just an Indian streamer anymore — it is building a global footprint, and Starzplay gives it a door into one of the world’s largest South Asian diaspora communities.
The deal is a reminder that streaming is still a land grab. Every platform is looking for scale, and pairing with a regional leader is one of the fastest ways to get it.
The projection on the Burj Khalifa was the kind of spectacle that announces a launch, but the real test will be the numbers. Whether South Asian viewers in the region treat JioHotstar the same way they treated it in the U.K., Canada and Singapore remains to be seen.
For now, the move looks smart. JioHotstar gets scale in a region with a huge South Asian audience. Starzplay gets access to a vast library of Indian originals, daily TV and blockbuster films. And the price points are low enough to make the package worth a try.
The question is whether the content holds up across the languages and genres on offer. With a library of 300,000 hours in 19 languages, there is plenty to choose from. But the early response in the U.K., Canada and Singapore suggests the appetite is there.
This is a partnership built on cricket, a shared language and a shared sense of what South Asian audiences want. Whether it becomes a fixture in MENA homes is the story that will unfold over the coming months.
The launch is a vote of confidence in Indian entertainment abroad. It is also a vote of confidence in the power of partnerships. Starzplay knew the region. JioHotstar knew the content. Together, they are betting that the sum is greater than the parts.
Source material: “Indian Streamer JioHotstar Enters Middle East and North Africa Through Starzplay Partnership,” Variety.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.