From 50 million to ...: How IPL helped JioHotstar reach almost close to Netflix's global subscribers

JioHotstar has witnessed a 'remarkable' surge in its subscriber base, now exceeding 280 million, a growth largely attributed to the immense popularity of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a report has said, highlighting that this figure brings JioHotstar close to the global subscriber count of streaming giant Netflix , which stands at approximately 300 million.

According to a Financial Times report, subscriptions to JioHotstar jumped from 50 million in March to 280 million this month, marking a substantial increase in a short period. JioHostar -- which was formed six months ago from the merger of JioCinema with Disney+ Hotstar in India -- currently holds both the digital and television rights for the IPL tournament.

Paid subscription may have driven subscriber count
The report says that the transition to a paid model for IPL matches on JioHotstar, following a period where they were freely accessible on Reliance's Jio platforms, appears to have driven this significant subscriber growth for India's largest streaming platform.

"It has been the biggest season of IPL till now. Both in terms of viewership as well as monetisation," Sanjog Gupta, JioStar’s chief executive for sports, was quoted as saying.

Gupta noted that since the tournament commenced on March 22, around 450 million people have watched cricket on TV, with a similar number engaging on digital platforms, despite some audience overlap. Viewer data in India is not publicly disclosed.

Gupta emphasized that the IPL has "pretty much delivered on all four vectors of growth [for JioStar]," referencing subscription and advertising revenues across both digital and television platforms.

JioHotstar betting big on vast content library to retain subscribers
The network hopes to retain these viewers after the IPL concludes on June 3, by offering a vast content library that includes Hollywood movies and shows from Paramount, Pixar, and HBO, for which it holds exclusive rights.

"While IPL acts as almost the gravitational pull for the consumer, the idea is once you bring the consumer through the gate, you ensure that the consumer has widened access to this vast content library, enabled by a seamless experience on the platform," Gupta stated.