This move highlights the growing focus of Reliance Industries on expanding premium global content offerings in India’s fast-growing streaming market.
JioHotstar has partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery to bring HBO Max to India as an add-on subscription starting at ₹49 per month. The offering will include content from HBO, Max Originals, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Television, and DC Studios.
The pricing is significantly lower than HBO Max’s U.S. Basic plan, which is priced at $10.99 per month. JioHotstar noted that user experience will depend on existing subscription plans, with lower-tier plans likely including ads. The platform’s base plans start at ₹79 per month for mobile users with ads and go up to ₹299 per month for an ad-free premium experience.
India’s streaming market continues to scale rapidly, with monthly active users reaching around 1.45 billion, driven by affordable data and widespread smartphone adoption. YouTube leads the market with 772 million MAUs, followed by JioHotstar with about 390 million MAUs.
However, penetration remains limited outside major cities. Usage stands at around 23%–27% in Tier 2 markets and 7%–8% in Tier 3 towns. A large share of users still access streaming services through bundled plans rather than direct subscriptions.
The HBO Max hub will offer a mix of upcoming and existing titles, including new seasons of Euphoria, House of the Dragon, DC Studios’ Lanterns, and an upcoming Harry Potter series.
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