JioStar, the newly formed company from the merger of Disney’s Star India and Reliance Industries’ Viacom18, may soon remove its entertainment content from YouTube. According to a report by the Economic Times, this move is part of a bigger plan to reduce free digital streaming and push users toward paid subscriptions.
While the decision is not final yet, sources suggest that JioStar could implement this change as early as May 1.
Moving Towards Paid Streaming
JioStar is reportedly shifting to a paid model for its streaming service, JioHotstar. Earlier, the platform provided free premium content, including live sports. However, this approach affected pay-TV and subscription-based streaming (SVOD) services. Now, JioStar is focusing on a paywall strategy to boost its subscription revenue.
As the pay-TV market declines, broadcasters like JioStar, Zee Entertainment, and Sony Pictures Networks India face pressure to pull their content from free, ad-supported platforms like YouTube. This shift aims to encourage more users to subscribe to their paid streaming services.
Pay-TV providers like Tata Play and Airtel Digital TV have been asking content creators to limit free digital streaming, as they are losing subscribers to platforms offering free content.
Impact on Pay-TV and Digital Streaming
India’s TV subscription market, worth around ₹40,000 crore, has been shrinking, with pay-TV subscriptions dropping to 84 million homes. To counter this, JioStar is looking for ways to grow its paid subscriber base and retain customers.
As part of its strategy, JioStar plans to delay releasing new content on free-to-air (FTA) channels like Star Utsav and Colors Rishtey by a year. It also aims to run a campaign on its FTA channels, encouraging DD Free Dish users to switch to paid TV services.
Monetization Through Telecom Bundling & Ads
Ahead of IPL 2025, JioStar is reportedly in talks with major telecom companies like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea to offer JioHotstar subscriptions as part of mobile data plans.
At the same time, JioStar is looking to attract startups and small to medium businesses for advertising. It plans to offer ad packages ranging from ₹15 lakh to ₹1.5 crore, making it more accessible for a wider range of advertisers.
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