This was announcement at a press conference in Chennai, where the company outlined its strategy to expand creator capacity, content output and training initiatives in the region.
Krishnan Kutty, Head of Entertainment (South), JioHotstar, said, JioHotstar had commissioned 75 per cent of all original content produced in South India.
“The South does not follow trends. It creates them. We are committed to spending Rs 4000 crore here because the future of Indian storytelling will be told in the South,” Kutty said.
Kutty said that Heartbeat (a Tamil-language medical drama series) crossed 100 million viewing hours in a month and Bigg Boss South drew viewing levels higher than any other streaming platform in the region. Viewers in the South spend 70 per cent more time on the platform and watch 50 per cent more genres than viewers in other parts of India. Kutty said contents from the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada industries were now gaining consumption across the country.
Sushant Sreeram, Head of SVOD Business and Chief Marketing Officer, JioHotstar, said, JioHotstar now had viewers in every PIN code in India. About 40 to 45 per cent of viewing in the South happened on connected TVs, he said.
“We crossed 200 million paying subscribers in 10 months. That places us among the top two digital subscription platforms globally,” Sreeram said.
The JioHotstar app was preloaded on 99 per cent of new smart TVs and active on 85 million devices, he said. Subscription growth continued through direct sign-ups and partnerships with telecom and broadband operators, he added.
The investment of Rs 4000 crore would support things such as creative labs, training programmes, internships, state-led content initiatives, scripted and non-scripted originals and partnerships with more than 500+ creators.
“Creators can take their stories to 200 million subscribers. This scale is an opportunity for them,” Kutty said.
The platform, relaunched some 10 months ago, has reached 400 million monthly viewers and 200 million paying subscribers, according to the company.
