JioHotstar bets on AI, conversational discovery and commerce to shape streaming’s next growth phase

Streaming may have won the battle for scale, but the next growth curve could come from something far less visible than content: product design.

At APOS 2026 in Bali, JioStar executives outlined how JioHotstar is positioning itself for that shift—through AI-led discovery, deeper engagement across screens and experiments that blur the line between entertainment and commerce.

Speaking at the session India Streaming: The Product View, Bharath Ram, chief product officer, JioStar, and Vijay Seshadri, chief architect, JioStar, described how the platform is evolving to serve one of the world’s largest streaming audiences by focusing less on expanding content libraries and more on improving how users discover, interact with and pay for experiences.

The conversation comes at a time when streaming platforms globally are under pressure to improve retention, increase monetisation and move consumers up the value chain.

For JioHotstar, that starts with consumer behaviour.

Ram said India’s streaming market can no longer be viewed as a single audience. Consumers now move across mobile, Connected TVs and premium viewing tiers, forcing platforms to think about acquisition and retention differently.

“A lot of product vision starts backwards from the consumer experience,” Ram said, adding that the goal is to remove friction between consumers and the content they want to watch.

That philosophy is increasingly shaping JioHotstar’s Connected TV strategy. With nearly 100 million Connected TVs already in the Indian market, the platform sees the next opportunity not merely in installation growth but in increasing viewing frequency and engagement.

Ram pointed to IPL 2026 as an example, saying the tournament helped drive upgrades from mobile-only consumers to Connected TV experiences and higher-value subscription plans.

Can AI solve streaming’s discovery problem?

But the company’s bigger bet appears to be artificial intelligence.

Seshadri argued that while content supply has exploded over the last decade, discovery mechanisms have remained largely unchanged.

“The next major shift is conversational discovery,” he said, referring to interfaces that allow users to discover content through natural interactions instead of keyword searches.

JioHotstar’s conversational discovery product—developed with OpenAI—is already seeing strong traction, with more than 60% of users choosing voice over text when both options are available. The experience combines conversational prompts with visual recommendations, enabling consumers to move from broad intent to personalised content choices.

AI is also being used beyond discovery.

JioHotstar showcased JAMS, its video intelligence layer designed to make content machine-readable and create contextual experiences inside viewing environments. The technology analyses scenes, objects and context to unlock more intelligent search and potentially new forms of commerce.

Will commerce become streaming’s next revenue engine?

According to Ram, that could fundamentally reshape how consumers interact with products while watching content.

“The boundaries between content and commerce are becoming more fluid,” he said, adding that contextual interactions could eventually replace interruption-led advertising.

Interactive formats are already being tested through products such as Jeeto Dhan Dhana Dhan and commerce integrations around live content.

For Seshadri, that evolution extends beyond media.

“The next sector to be disrupted is product commerce,” he said. “If platforms can enable seamless purchases while people are watching, it could become transformational.”

If the first phase of streaming was about getting audiences online, JioHotstar’s next chapter appears focused on keeping them engaged—and eventually turning engagement into transactions.