JioHotstar joins Netflix as it crosses 1 billion downloads on Google Play

JioHotstar, the OTT (over-the-top) platform of India’s largest media conglomerate, has crossed over one billion downloads on Google Play in India, joining global streaming giant Netflix in this segment.

 

This follows the platforms already having a close race in terms of subscribers. JioHotstar, launched in February as the combined platform of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar, has about 300 million subscribers so far, according to a person aware of the development. On the other hand, Netflix, which is present in around 190 countries, is said to have about 309.8 million subscribers as of September, according to Bloomberg Consensus.

 

With over 500 million monthly active users, JioHotstar leads the OTT market in the country, the person aware of the development added. After Netflix, the other major platform in India to have over one billion downloads on Google Play is the e-commerce major’s free streaming platform, Amazon MX Player. Prime Video has over 500 million downloads on Google Play.

 

"Today, JioHotstar celebrates one billion downloads on the Play Store," said Kiran Mani, chief executive officer (CEO), digital, JioStar, in his LinkedIn post on Tuesday. "This isn’t about the scale. It’s about connection — how stories unite us across languages, screens, and generations. It’s about innovation — where technology meets culture to create experiences that feel personal, purposeful, and limitless. And it’s about the power of choice — giving a billion people the freedom to watch, feel, and belong, their way."

 

In the July–September quarter, Reliance Industries-backed JioStar reported a rise of 127.5 per cent in its net profit to Rs 1,322 crore on a sequential basis. During the recent earnings call, Kevin Vaz, chief executive officer (CEO), entertainment, JioStar, had said that the company is focusing on bringing audiences to its platforms on a daily basis with long-running series. Additionally, in October, JioHotstar released an AI-powered series, Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh, in collaboration with Collective Artists Network, which became one of its largest shows on the platform with 26.5 million video views.

 

In India, among the major streaming platforms, only Netflix operates on a subscription video-on-demand model, while JioHotstar and Amazon’s Prime Video have shifted to hybrid models, including advertisements.