OpenAI and JioHotstar Team Up to Bring ChatGPT-Powered Discovery to India

JioHotstar has partnered with OpenAI to develop a ChatGPT-branded discovery experience for India’s most popular streaming service, allowing its roughly half-a-billion monthly customers to search for content using spoken or typed natural language rather than traditional menu navigation.

The partnership will see OpenAI’s technology integrated directly into the JioHotstar app, replacing keyword-based search with an assistant capable of processing contextual and emotionally sensitive queries. Rather than searching for titles manually, a viewer may explain a family scenario or a personal quirk and receive tailored suggestions in return. The technology is also intended to complement live sports coverage, providing users with a conversational interface for accessing match facts, player data, and critical moments in real time.

The deal is designed to work in both directions. JioHotstar’s collection, which includes over 300,000 hours of programming in 19 languages sourced from a broadcast network of over 100 channels, as well as original and licensed material, will also be featured within ChatGPT. Users who query the chatbot for viewing suggestions will receive recommendations along with direct links to relevant JioHotstar films.

JioHotstar’s parent business is JioStar, an Indian media giant formed from the merging of Disney’s Star India and Reliance’s Viacom18.

“AI marks a transformative shift for the media and entertainment industry. It fundamentally disrupts every aspect of the value chain, from conceptualisation and production to discovery and monetisation,” said Uday Shankar, vice chair of JioStar. “Our partnership with OpenAI will allow viewers to discover, engage with, and even curate content simply using their voice. This is a fundamental reimagining of the entertainment experience; one that anticipates culture and feels deeply personal to every viewer.”