JioHotstar to Invest ₹4,000 Crore in South Indian Content, Signs MoU with Tamil Nadu Government

In a major move to strengthen its regional content portfolio, JioHotstar has announced an investment of ₹4,000 crore over the next five years to develop and expand South Indian content. As part of this initiative, the OTT platform has signed a Letter of Intent with the Tamil Nadu government.

The announcement was made at the ‘South Unbound’ event held in Chennai on December 9, where JioHotstar revealed that the investment will primarily focus on South-origin original programming. The strategy includes backing regional-first storytelling, fresh narratives, and emerging creative talent, while also scaling these stories for national and global audiences.

Focus on Creators and Talent Development

As part of its expansion plan, JioHotstar will introduce creator-focused initiatives, including writing labs, mentorship programmes, and skill-development workshops. These initiatives aim to nurture upcoming filmmakers, writers, editors, and digital creators across South India.

The platform also unveiled a slate of 25 upcoming South Indian titles, featuring prominent projects such as Vijay Sethupathi’s Kaattaan, Kajal Aggarwal’s Visakha, and Nivin Pauly’s Pharma.

In addition to popular shows like Bigg Boss (across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada), the upcoming lineup includes Good Wife Season 2, Moodu Lantharlu, Kerala Crime Files Season 3, LBW, Vikram on Duty, Cousins and Kalyanams, Lucky: The Superstar, Secret Stories, Resort, Varam, Anali, Heartbeat Season 3, Batchmates, 1000 Babies Season 2, Lingam, Love Always, Save the Tiger Season 3, and Comedy Cooks.

Industry Leaders Applaud the Initiative

The event was attended by Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, actor and MP Kamal Haasan, Information Minister MP Saminathan, and leading actors including Vijay Sethupathi, Mohanlal, and Nagarjuna.

Speaking at the event, Kamal Haasan described JioHotstar’s initiative as a transformational moment for the entertainment industry. He noted that storytelling today is no longer bound to a single screen and that regional stories are now shaping national and global cultural conversations.

“Regional is becoming the new national, and ethnic the new international. Stories from towns and cities across South India are no longer regional cinema—they are national cultural events,” he said.

JioHotstar Leadership Vision

Krishnan Kutty, Head – Entertainment (South), JioHotstar, said South India has always been a creative powerhouse. He added that the platform is committed to long-term investment in talent, infrastructure, and innovative storytelling formats.

He revealed that over 500 creators, directors, and showrunners have joined JioHotstar in the last 10 months alone, emphasizing that South Unbound represents a promise to help creators expand their reach across India and globally.

Meanwhile, Sushant Sreeram, Head – SVOD Business & CMO, said JioHotstar was built with the vision of shaping the future of Indian entertainment by blending the country’s storytelling heritage with cutting-edge technology. He added that South India’s influence on Indian cinema continues to inspire the platform’s content strategy.