HBO Max Launches in India through Exclusive JioHotstar Partnership

The latest news in the streaming world brings HBO Max to India through an exclusive deal with JioHotstar. This Indian streaming service, owned by conglomerate Reliance Industries, is expanding its partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery to bring HBO Max content to subscribers in India.

For just ₹49 (about $0.50) per month, JioHotstar users can access HBO Max content, including shows and movies from HBO, Max Originals, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Television, and DC Studios. This pricing is significantly lower than HBO Max’s stand-alone Basic tier in the U.S., which costs $10.99 a month.

JioHotstar subscribers will experience HBO Max based on their existing subscription plans, with lower-priced plans potentially including advertising. Plan prices start at ₹79 (about $0.85) per month for mobile users with ads and go up to ₹299 (about $3.2) per month for an ad-free premium plan.

The streaming market in India has seen rapid growth, with over 1.45 billion monthly active users (MAUs), driven by affordable mobile data plans and increased smartphone adoption. YouTube leads the market with 772 million MAUs, while JioHotstar comes in second with around 390 million MAUs.

Despite this growth, streaming service penetration remains low outside major cities, with only 23% to 27% usage in Tier 2 markets and 7% to 8% in Tier 3 towns. Most users access streaming services through bundled offerings rather than direct subscriptions.

The HBO Max hub in India will offer a range of new and existing titles, including the third season of “Euphoria,” the next installment of “House of the Dragon,” DC Studios’ “Lanterns,” an upcoming Harry Potter series, and much more.