JioHotstar Expands Into MENA Through Starzplay Partnership

JioHotstar is expanding into the Middle East and North Africa through a partnership with Starzplay, giving the Reliance-backed streaming service a dedicated presence inside one of the region’s established streaming platforms. The move extends JJioHotstar’sinternational reach after its earlier launches in the U.K., Canada and Singapore.

Unlike those markets, where JioHotstar launched as a standalone service replacing Hotstar, viewers in MENA will access its programming through a dedicated section in Starzplay’s app and on its website. The catalogue will include Indian films, television shows, originals and reality programming across several languages.

JioHotstar takes a partnership route in MENA

The service targets the region’s large South Asian population with programming in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Bangla, and other languages. New JioHotstar originals are expected to premiere in MENA at the same time as their Indian releases, with audio support available in as many as 10 languages.

The lineup includes franchises such as Bigg Boss and Koffee with Karan, while JioHotstar is placing additional emphasis on Malayalam content because of the region’s sizable Malayali community. The company says its platform has more than 500 million monthly active users.

JioHotstar’s own Indian sports offering will not be included in the regional service. Starzplay’s Plus plan, which includes JioHotstar entertainment, costs AED 34.99 per month, while a AED 49.99 monthly package combines JioHotstar with Starzplay’s sports offering, including cricket.

The expansion builds on Hotstar’s earlier regional presence

Hotstar content was already available in the Middle East before JioHotstar’s formation. In 2024, Disney Star expanded its distribution agreement with evision, the media and entertainment arm of e&, making the company a regional home for Hotstar Specials.

Evision is also a major shareholder in Starzplay, which now gives JioHotstar its first dedicated streaming destination in the region. Starzplay has more than 2.3 million subscribers and has built part of its South Asian audience around cricket programming.

Reliance continues JioHotstar’s overseas expansion

JioHotstar was created after Reliance Industries and Disney combined their Indian media businesses in an $8.5 billion joint venture in 2024. The platform brought together JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar and launched in India in February 2025.

Financial terms of the Starzplay partnership were not disclosed. Starzplay CEO Maaz Sheikh described the addition of JioHotstar as a strategic investment as the companies seek to serve viewers looking for Indian entertainment across the Middle East and North Africa.