I hate the JioHotstar logo, but I still watch it. I am not alone. There are millions like me.
How did they get here, and why do they have tens of millions of paying users?
To answer these questions, we have to go back in time.
In 2016, accessing internet on mobile was expensive. (Actually, internet, in general, was expensive.) A majority (~75%) of the country had no means to access the internet.
Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man, saw this as an opportunity. He launched his own 4G mobile network, called Jio
He had grand plans…he pledged to make internet accessible to the common man.
Overnight, millions of people could now afford going online.
Any idea what happens when millions get access to the internet…
They want content. They want entertainment.
As a result, demand for video based content shot up faster than Indian uncles forward "Good Morning" messages on WhatsApp.
Once again Mukesh saw an opportunity, and quickly expanded into entertainment. He launched JioCinema in 2016. Jio Cinema became part of Viacom18's joint venture in 2022. And merged with Voot in 2023.
By Oct 2024, JioCinema had 16Mn paid subscribers, surpassing Netflix (with ~12Mn paid users) and becoming India’s biggest online streaming platform.
How did they achieve this?
They offered paid plans so cheap, it almost felt stupid not to buy.
Plus, they gave access to Bollywood movies, regional content, and (with the Hotstar acquisition) Cricket matches.
(In case you didn’t already know, the India vs. Pakistan Champions Trophy 2025 will also be streaming live on JioHotstar today 23rd Feb 2025.)
Do you see the trend? Every time Mukesh sees an opportunity to tap into the masses, he launches a new product. He makes it available for free (or very low prices.) He gets users hooked. And later introduces paid upgrades.
This is exactly what happened with with Jio Fiber, Jio 4G, JioSaavn, and JioCinema.
Okay, let’s get back to the main story - Jio and Hotstar
Hotstar → Disney + Hotstar → JioHotstar
While Jio was revolutionising the telecom sector, Hotstar was building India’s biggest online streaming audience. Hotstar launched in 2015, and quickly became the go-to app for live cricket, especially the IPL.
No other streaming service in India pulled in as many concurrent viewers as they did.
Disney saw great potential in Hotstar and acquired it in 2019.
They integrated its global Disney+ content. Now, Hotstar had everything - Hollywood, Bollywood, Indian TV, and live sports.
While JioCinema was doing well on its own, they lacked one key aspect that hooks Indian viewers like more than anything else—live Cricket streaming.
By merging with Disney+ Hotstar, they knew they will be able offer the best of ALL online content. But, merging came with a its own challenges - a domain controversy, backlash about the logo…
JioHotstar Domain Controversy
In October 2024, rumors spread about JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar merger. There was a lot of speculation about the merged company’s name.
One smart guy saw an opportunity…
He bought JioHotstar.com domain before anyone could even think about it. Then, he asked Jio to fund his higher studies in exchange for giving up the domain.
No. I am not kidding. This happened for real.
Here is the original letter from the domain owner to Reliance (Jio’s parent company)
But Reliance refused to pay. They took legal action.
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JioHotstar Launch
By December 2024, Jio won the battle and took ownership of the domain. JioHotstar officially launched on February 14, 2025 (Yep! Valentine's Day), and here’s what changed:
- More content - A mix of regional films, Hollywood movies, sports, and Disney+ originals.
- Live sports streaming – IPL, international cricket, and football leagues.
- Paid IPL access – For the first time, IPL was not free to watch.
This last point made a lot of people mad.
For years, Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema streamed IPL matches for free.
So, millions of users kept coming back.
But, IPL broadcasting rights are expensive. Keeping it free wasn’t sustainable. So, JioHotstar made a bold decision. If you want to watch IPL, you must pay.
Fans weren’t happy. They were angry, and they were already finding ways to hack the paywall.
But Jio understood Indians very well. They knew that Indians are extremely price sensitive. And Indians are cricket fanatics. And their love for Cricket is more than their reluctance to pay.
The story does not end here. Actually, it gets even more interesting.
JioHotstar Logo
After the launch, users started talking about how ugly and uninspiring the new logo was.
I wholeheartedly agree. The BOOM symbol and the brand colors...what on earth were they thinking? Were they even thinking?
Twitter reacts to the new logo:
The question is…does this backlash matter?
In Jio’s case, probably not. A logo does not define a product’s success, especially in the case of JioHotstar. No user will unsubscribe because of the logo.
Acquisition will not slow down because of the logo. The reason is simple. Jio is providing good content and live Cricket at unmatched prices. That is all Indians want.
By the way, there is a high chance that by the time you finish reading this article, Jio has launched a new mass product.
Because they already announced a few more products: a yet-to-be-named web browser, JioSphere (a Quora competitor), and JioCoins (Bitcoin competitor).
Key Takeaways
Okay, so why did we go through this long story?
Jio is a great case study when it comes to creating effective product strategy. They deeply understand the Indian consumer.
They know their needs. And they how to meet their needs. They have tonnes of cash, and they are happy to burn it to acquire users.
But they also know how to retain users - by providing an infinite amount of value. Once the users get used to so much value, they don’t mind paying a small amount of money.
Key lessons:
- Know your market and understand your users. This will help you identify their needs and create solutions to meet them.
- Focus on acquisition and retention both because one without the other is useless.
- Create value for users from day one. If users can solve their problems by using your product, they will stay with you (even if you have a bad logo.)
As I always say,
As long as your product solves a need for them, they will keep using it.
(Feel free to quote me on that. I actually like it when people quote me.)
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