by JioStar (Reliance-Disney JV)
JioStar - India’s Largest Media Conglomerate | Entertainment Reimagined
JioHotstar is India's largest OTT streaming platform, born from the February 2025 merger of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar under the Reliance-Disney joint venture JioStar. Headquartered in Mumbai, it has crossed 1 billion downloads on Google Play and serves over 500 million monthly active users across every pin code in India. The platform's killer feature is live cricket — IPL, ICC tournaments, and international matches draw massive concurrent viewership. Beyond sports, JioHotstar offers 300,000+ hours of content: Bollywood movies, Star Plus and Colors TV serials, Disney, Marvel, HBO originals, National Geographic documentaries, and regional content in 19 Indian languages. The Disney+ library (Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel) sets it apart from purely Indian competitors like Zee5 and SonyLIV. JioHotstar runs three subscription tiers, repriced effective 28 January 2026: Mobile (Rs 499/year, one mobile device at a time, ad-supported), Super (Rs 1,099/year, up to 2 devices, ad-supported, includes Hollywood), and Premium (Rs 2,199/year, up to 4 devices, ad-free except for live sports and other live shows, includes Hollywood). Monthly plans start at Rs 79. A free ad-supported tier offers limited content. Compared to Netflix India (Rs 649/month for Standard), JioHotstar delivers far more content — especially sports — at a fraction of the cost. JioHotstar is ideal for Indian households wanting one subscription for cricket, Bollywood, Hollywood, and regional TV. The sports-plus-entertainment combo is unmatched in India. However, users report intrusive ads even on paid plans during live sports, frequent buffering during peak events like IPL, and a cluttered UI that worsened after the JioCinema merger. Power users on desktop/Firefox report browser compatibility issues.
Information updated 1 years ago
Jio Platforms Limited
4.3/5 on Google Play Store, India (gl=IN) — aggregateRating 4.3210 (displays as 4.3) from 14,448,504 ratings, package in.startv.hotstar, listing name "JioHotstar". Verified 2026-08-31. The previous stored 4.2 was the US-locale figure (4.2311); ratingCount is identical across locales, which is the locale-mismatch signature. · Last verified 2026-08-31
Three tiers, and these are the prices JioStar published for new subscribers effective 28 January 2026 — still the current rate card as of August 2026. Mobile is Rs 79 a month, Rs 149 a quarter or Rs 499 a year. Super is Rs 149 a month, Rs 349 a quarter or Rs 1,099 a year. Premium is Rs 299 a month, Rs 699 a quarter or Rs 2,199 a year. What the extra money buys is screens and ads, not a resolution tier: Mobile is one mobile device at a time, Super allows up to 2 devices at a time, Premium up to 4. Mobile and Super are both ad-supported; only Premium is ad-free, and even that shows ads on live sports and live shows. Hollywood is included in Super and Premium but costs Mobile subscribers a separate add-on of Rs 49 a month, Rs 129 a quarter or Rs 399 a year. One thing to know before you pay: JioHotstar's own help centre states that 'all of our subscription plans are recurring and non-refundable.' These prices changed in January 2026 and can change again, so check the plans page at the time you subscribe.
Partly, and less than it used to be. JioStar's terms of use say content may be offered 'free of charge which may include advertisements or commercials' alongside the paid plans, so a free ad-supported layer does exist — but JioHotstar publishes no catalogue for it, and it no longer reaches the big screen. The help centre is specific: access to JioHotstar's library on Smart TVs, connected TVs and desktops 'is now available only through our Super Plan or Premium Plan', and on a web browser only 'sports clips, highlights and content trailers continue to be free'. Streaming through a mobile browser is blocked entirely — you are pushed to the app. So in practice: clips and trailers free on the web, an ad-supported slice inside the mobile app, and the full library from Rs 79 a month upward as of August 2026. Any site or APK promising the whole JioHotstar catalogue, live cricket included, for free is not JioHotstar.
No, and this is the most common unpleasant surprise with the cheapest tier. JioHotstar's help centre puts it plainly: 'With the Mobile Plan: content can be viewed only on a Mobile device', and 'Only Super and Premium plan subscribers will be able to enjoy content on the big screen.' Try to play something on a TV while on a Mobile plan and you get a prompt to upgrade rather than a video. Concurrent device limits as of August 2026 are 1 mobile device at a time on Mobile, up to 2 devices on Super and up to 4 on Premium. Upgrading mid-cycle is allowed — you pay the difference from My Space and the remaining duration on your old plan is adjusted — but JioHotstar permits upgrades only, never downgrades, and plans activated through a telco recharge, coupon or voucher may not be eligible to upgrade at all. If a TV is where you actually watch, start at Super.
Because two of the three tiers are ad-supported by design, and the third is not ad-free during live sport. The help centre states that 'Users with Mobile and Super plans will get Ads on content', and that Premium subscribers 'will not get any Ads except with LIVE content such as sports, live shows and certain non-fictional content.' The terms of use say the same thing in legal form: 'some Content such as live sports or shows, when accessed, will show advertisements even where the subscription plan selected is an advertisement free plan.' The older Mobile Ads Free and Super Ads Free plans were pulled from new purchases after 28 February 2026 — existing subscribers keep auto-renewing on them, but cancel once and you are routed to Premium. The honest summary: if ad-free live cricket is what you are paying for, no JioHotstar tier currently delivers it.
Prices changed on 28 January 2026, announced by JioStar on 21 January 2026, and existing subscribers were left alone. The press release says 'existing subscribers will continue on their current plans and prices without any change, as long as auto-renewals remain active', and the help centre repeats it: users who subscribed before 28 January 2026 'will continue to renew on the older prices unless they cancel the subscription. After cancellation, if they try to purchase the subscription afresh, the new prices will take effect.' That makes cancelling a grandfathered plan a one-way door — pausing for a month to save money means coming back at the new rate. The same update introduced monthly plans across every tier for the first time, from Rs 79; before it, only quarterly and annual options existed.
You can stop the renewal, but you will not get money back. If you paid JioHotstar directly by card, net banking, UPI or Paytm, go to My Space, then Help & Settings, Account Settings, Subscription and Devices, tap Cancel and then Cancel Auto renewal — allow 24 hours for it to process. If you subscribed through Google Play or iTunes you cannot cancel inside the app: do it under Payments & subscriptions in the Play Store or through iTunes, and note JioHotstar says it cannot provide billing support for Google Play purchases at all. Plans bought with a Jio, Airtel, Vi or BSNL recharge or a Flipkart coupon need no cancellation; they expire on their own. On refunds the wording leaves no room: 'JioHotstar does not offer refunds or credits for partially used billing periods', 'all plans are non-refundable', and the terms of use say fees are non-refundable 'irrespective of whether the Subscription or the Add-on has been availed by You or not'. If you pay by UPI Autopay you can also revoke the mandate from your UPI app, which stops the debit once the current cycle ends.
Because Hollywood was unbundled from the cheapest tier on 28 January 2026. JioStar moved Hollywood content into the Super and Premium tiers for new subscribers; Mobile subscribers keep everything else but have to buy a Hollywood add-on at Rs 49 a month, Rs 129 a quarter or Rs 399 a year (prices as of August 2026). 'Hollywood' is defined broadly — the help centre's list includes Marvel, Disney, Pixar, LucasFilm, 20th Century Studios, HBO, HBO MAX, Warner Bros, Paramount, National Geographic, Hulu, FOX and ESPN, plus Korean studios such as Studio Dragon, SBS and KBS, and it says the list is not exhaustive. Three catches worth knowing: the add-on can only be bought on the latest Android app, it is not available at all if you bought your Mobile plan through Google Play or iTunes, and if your Mobile plan came bundled with a telco recharge you must upgrade to Super or Premium instead.
The realistic Indian-made options are MX Player, ZEE5 and SonyLIV, and they solve different problems rather than replacing JioHotstar wholesale. MX Player — now Amazon MX Player, after Amazon acquired it from Times Internet in 2024 — is the free ad-supported route, with no subscription at all but the weakest marquee catalogue. ZEE5 is the one to pick for the Zee network library and regional viewing, especially Bengali, Marathi and the southern languages. SonyLIV carries Sony's originals and a European football slate. What none of them can offer is Indian cricket, which is the reason most people subscribe to JioHotstar in the first place: that is a broadcast-rights question, not a feature gap, so no competitor can simply match it. If live cricket is not what you are after, one of these three will usually cover the rest for less.
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Yes, Hotstar by JioStar (Reliance-Disney JV) is an Indian alternative to SonyLIV. It offers similar functionality while being developed and maintained in India.Explore other Indian alternatives to SonyLIV →
MX Media (Amazon MX Player)
MX Player is India's most-downloaded video player and OTT platform, launched 2011 and acquired by Amazon in 2024 (now Amazon MX Player, confirmed by its Play Store publisher "Amazon Mobile LLC"). 1B+ Google Play downloads verified; Amazon itself has reported 1.4B+ total downloads and ~250M MAU. Streams free movies, web series, K-dramas, Turkish dramas, and regional originals. MX Gold premium at Rs 499/year removes most ads. Best for budget viewers and Android users.
Culver Max Entertainment
SonyLIV is India's first OTT streaming platform, launched January 2013 by Mumbai-based Culver Max Entertainment. 310M+ Google Play downloads. Hosts critically acclaimed originals like Scam 1992 (IMDb 9.3), Rocket Boys, Gullak, and Maharani, plus live UEFA Champions League, La Liga, WWE, UFC, and Sony TV shows (KBC, Indian Idol). Premium Annual at Rs 1,499/year (~Rs 125/month) — far cheaper than Netflix. Best for premium Indian originals and football fans.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises
ZEE5 is an Indian OTT platform launched February 2018 by Mumbai-based Zee Entertainment Enterprises (founded 1992). 100M+ MAU and 500M+ Google Play downloads, available in 190+ countries. 200,000+ hours of content across 12 Indian languages including the entire Zee TV network catalog plus 90+ live TV channels. Originals like Abhay, Rangbaaz, and Sunflower hit IMDb 7.7-9.6. Premium HD at Rs 999/year. Best for Bengali, Marathi, and regional Zee viewers.
Amagi Media Labs
Amagi is a Bengaluru-based media tech company (founded 2008, IPO Jan 2026) providing cloud-native broadcast, CTV, and FAST solutions powering 5,000+ channels across 50+ streaming platforms globally. Suite includes CLOUDPORT (cloud playout), THUNDERSTORM (server-side ad insertion), and Amagi NOW (self-serve FAST channel launcher). Serves NBCUniversal, A+E, Bloomberg, CBS, ZEE5, and more. Enterprise pricing on AWS. Best for content owners scaling FAST channels.
Bluedoors Technologies
AtoPlay is an Indian YouTube alternative for short and long-form video across entertainment, education, news, sports, and tech. Built by Bengaluru-based Bluedoors Technologies, it has crossed 1M+ downloads on Google Play plus a smaller iOS app. Creators get a lower monetisation threshold than YouTube, a tiered rank system, and strong support for Indian regional languages. Best for creators diversifying beyond YouTube.
Bigtree Entertainment
BookMyShow's per-ticket convenience fee is non-refundable — even when the event is cancelled — and is only shown at the checkout screen. Cinema tickets can be cancelled at many (not all) screens 20 minutes to 4 hours before showtime, refunding 50-75% of the base ticket price but never the fee. India's largest ticketing platform, run by Mumbai-based Bigtree Entertainment; District, by Eternal (Zomato), is now its first real rival.
