As competition intensifies in the streaming industry, JioHotstar is looking beyond content acquisition to drive its next phase of growth, placing product innovation, artificial intelligence and deeper consumer engagement at the centre of its strategy.

Speaking at the APOS 2026 media and entertainment conference in Bali during the session India Streaming: The Product View on Thursday, Bharath Ram, chief product officer, JioStar, and Vijay Seshadri, chief architect, JioStar, outlined how the platform is evolving to serve one of the world’s largest streaming audiences through smarter discovery, cross-screen experiences and emerging commerce opportunities.

Ram said the Indian streaming market has become increasingly fragmented, with consumers moving seamlessly across smartphones, connected TVs and premium subscription tiers. This shift is compelling platforms to rethink how they attract and retain users.

“A lot of product vision starts backwards from the consumer experience,” Ram said. “Our focus is on reducing friction between consumers and the content they want to watch.”

That approach is shaping JioHotstar’s connected TV strategy. With nearly 100 million connected TVs already present in Indian households, the company sees significant growth potential in driving greater engagement and viewing frequency rather than simply expanding device penetration.

Ram highlighted IPL 2026 as a key catalyst for this transition, noting that the tournament encouraged many users to upgrade from mobile-only viewing to Connected TV experiences and higher-value subscription plans.

Artificial intelligence, however, remains at the heart of JioHotstar’s long-term roadmap.

Seshadri said the explosion of content across streaming platforms has created a discovery challenge for consumers, even as recommendation systems have largely remained unchanged.

“The next major shift is conversational discovery,” Seshadri said. “Consumers should be able to discover content through natural interactions rather than relying only on traditional keyword searches.”

JioHotstar’s conversational discovery feature, developed in collaboration with OpenAI, is already gaining traction, the firm said. According to the company, more than 60% of users choose voice interactions over text when both options are available. The feature combines conversational prompts with visual recommendations, helping users move from broad viewing intent to personalised content suggestions.

Beyond discovery, AI is also powering JAMS, JioHotstar’s video intelligence layer. The technology analyses scenes, objects and contextual elements within content to make video assets machine-readable, enabling more intelligent search and recommendation capabilities. Over time, the company believes the platform could also unlock commerce opportunities embedded directly within the viewing experience.