Jiohotstar nears Netflix with 300 million subscribers
What's the story
JioHotstar has reached a significant milestone of 300 million subscribers, placing it just a hair's breadth behind Netflix's 301.6 million base. A newly merged platform from Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema, JioHotstar launched in February 2025 and has since capitalized on India's digital momentum across entertainment and streaming. The surge in subscribers can be largely attributed to the recently concluded Tata IPL edition, which was instrumental in driving up viewership numbers for the platform.
Viewership shift
IPL's digital viewership outpaced TV viewership this year
The digital viewership of the Tata IPL has outpaced its television counterpart, according to a report by Jiostar, the entity formed by the merger of Jiocinema and Disney+Hotstar. The cricket league's digital audience reached 652 million this year, exceeding the 537 million who tuned in on TV. Sanjog Gupta, CEO of Sports and Live Experiences at Jiostar, said this high viewership translated into revenues for the platform.
Record numbers
How did IPL fare on JioCinema?
The final match of the season between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings reached 237 million on digital platforms and 189 million on television. Overall, Jiostar's IPL coverage had a combined reach of 1.19 billion across both mediums. The average daily reach was 121 million for TV and an impressive 170 million for digital platforms, with peak concurrency hitting a whopping 55.2 million at one point in time.
Growth spurt
Subscriber count skyrocketed during IPL; platform boasted 425 advertisers
JioHotstar's subscriber count skyrocketed from just 50 million in February to a staggering 280 million by May, thanks to the start of the cricketing league. The platform also boasted 425 advertisers from 40 unique categories during this period, including as many as 270 debutants. Notably, RCB topped video viewership with over 330 million views while Mumbai Indians led in overall TV watch time per team at an impressive 106 billion minutes.