.jpg)
When Reliance’s Viacom18 joined forces with Disney’s Star India to create JioStar, the move sent ripples through India’s digital video ecosystem. The new entity, with its blockbuster IPL 2025 launch, is not just another OTT contender—it’s a direct challenger to YouTube’s long-held dominance in both video content and advertising. But is JioStar truly poised to overtake the Google-owned giant, or does the market still belong to YouTube?
The Numbers Game
JioStar’s growth since its formation has been nothing short of meteoric, pun absolutely intended. In just two months, JioHotstar, the merged streaming platform, saw its paying subscribers spike from 50 million to over 200 million in two months, with active monthly users expected to hit 300 million by the IPL final.
The IPL’s opening weekend alone saw a record 34 million concurrent viewers and 1.37 billion views. The platform now boasts nearly 300,000 hours of content, and IPL 2025 ad revenue is projected at Rs 4,500 crore (and up to Rs 6,000 crore according to the company), with 1,100 advertisers and 32 sponsors on board.
YouTube, however, remains India’s most popular video platform, with 476 million users and a creator ecosystem of 7.5 million. It accounted for ?14,300 crore in digital media revenue in 2024, compared to JioStar’s ?11,835 crore, as recently reported by exchange4media.
.jpg)
The Tech Race
JioStar’s most talked-about differentiator is its embrace of advanced technology, especially the much-hyped “brain mapping” for real-time audience insights. Shradha Agarwal, Co-founder and Global CEO of Grapes Worldwide, says these features “allow brands to hyper-personalize campaigns and drive deeper engagement, particularly for D2C and regional advertisers.” She acknowledges the appeal of cost-effective ad inventory and the potential for tech-enabled, context-specific targeting.
However, Agarwal cautions that JioStar still has ground to cover. She notes, “JioStar still faces a lot of competition from YouTube, which vouches for reliability and predictable ROI to the brands.” For JioStar to truly lead, she believes it must focus on robust content partnerships, consistent ad delivery, and sustained performance measurement. In a market where technology is the lever for precision and engagement, she sees a future where AR, VR, and gamified storytelling will be critical for turning viewers into participants.
Audience Segmentation & Vernacular Play
For Gopa Menon, Chief Growth Officer at Successive Digital, the real test for JioStar isn’t just about scale. He argues that “audience composition is now more important than raw numbers.” JioStar’s opportunity, he says, lies in capturing specific segments—especially tier 2-3 and vernacular audiences—by leveraging Reliance’s broader ecosystem. Menon is clear-eyed about the challenges: “Brain mapping and predictive targeting must deliver measurable ROI, not just novelty.”
He also emphasizes the importance of accessibility and vernacular AI, especially in India’s multilingual, multi-device environment. For any challenger, he says, innovation must address India’s unique digital habits and connectivity issues.
Measurement frameworks tailored to Indian marketing priorities—like rural reach and assisted conversions—will be key. Menon finds JioStar’s integration with Reliance’s retail and telecom data ecosystem particularly compelling, offering insights that YouTube and Meta can’t match.
The Commerce-Content Convergence
JioStar’s ambitions go beyond video, way beyond the content space in fact. Preetham Venkky, Chief Digital Officer at DDB Mudra Group, sees the platform as a potential “super app”—India’s answer to Prime, Myntra, and YouTube rolled into one.
This comes at a time when Retail Media Networks are coming into their own as advertising behemoths, with the Pitch Madison Advertising Report 2025 noting that while digital advertising in India experienced a 14% growth in 2024, reaching ?45,292 crore, advertising on e-retail platforms accounted for ?11,293 crore, representing 22.93% of total digital media spends—a clear indicator of the burgeoning influence of RMNs.
Vekky describes Reliance’s strategy as “brute force meets hyperlocal finesse,” with distribution dominance as the first step, followed by brand seduction. If JioStar succeeds, he predicts “a reshuffle of the entire marketing funnel, with one entity controlling everything from top-of-funnel video to last-click conversion.”
The new contender’s growth has been supercharged by JioStar’s bundling strategy with major telecom partners like Jio and Airtel, which now accounts for nearly two-thirds of its paid subscriber base. The platform’s total user base, including free users, has crossed 500 million, making it one of the most widely accessed streaming services in India.
That being said, the CMO of a major digital advertiser told us that YouTube's unparalleled content creator ecosystem, along with its vast content library, and the ever-growing popularity of YouTube Shorts (and Instagram's Reels) among consumers as well as brands meant JioStar had to play catchup.
Reliability, Measurement, and the Road Ahead
And despite the buzz, a senior digital and adtech expert notes that scale and reliability remain non-negotiable for many large advertisers. “YouTube and Meta, with their established performance metrics and reach, are still the default choices for major campaigns.”
Yet, this expert acknowledges that JioStar’s differentiated tech—predictive targeting, immersive formats, and transparent measurement—offers genuine opportunities for brands willing to experiment, especially those targeting rural or niche demographics.
This vision is reflected in JioStar’s aggressive ad innovation for IPL 2025: 4K streaming, interactive overlays, and granular targeting across 100+ parameters. The “MegaBlast” format, offering a one-day ad takeover, reached 365 million viewers and delivered 4.5 billion ad views in just 24 hours.
The expert underscores that “content libraries are now table stakes; what matters is advanced targeting, engaging ad formats, and transparent measurement.” Platforms must prove their value with consistent, measurable results. While YouTube and Meta have a headstart, innovation and focus on specific niches could help JioStar carve out significant market share.
The Verdict: A Market in Flux
JioStar’s rise is more than hype—it’s a signal that India’s digital video market is entering a new era. The platform’s rapid subscriber growth, exclusive content rights, and technological push are forcing advertisers to rethink their strategies. For now, YouTube’s reliability and reach remain formidable, but JioStar’s momentum is undeniable.
Agarwal sums up the industry’s sentiment: “In a highly competitive and digital market, technology comes with the ability to steer ad precision, immersive engagement and performance by leveraging predictive targeting, real-time analytics, etc. Integration of advanced technologies such as AI facilitates data collection and analysis of consumer behaviour that helps brands to devise effective campaigns that cater to the needs of the target audience.”
As brands look for precision, engagement, and measurable outcomes, the battle between JioStar and YouTube is set to intensify. The ultimate winner may not be a single platform, but rather the Indian advertiser and consumer—now at the center of a data-driven, tech-enabled revolution.
.jpg)
