JioHotstar partners OpenAI for AI-led streaming

ioHotstar has announced a partnership with OpenAI to introduce a ChatGPT-powered voice discovery feature to its streaming platform, marking a shift towards more conversational content navigation in India’s digital entertainment market.

For more than a decade, streaming services have largely relied on browsing menus and keyword searches. The new integration aims to allow users to discover content through natural speech, reducing the need to scroll through categories or manually type queries. The feature, described as multilingual cognitive search, is designed to interpret intent, mood and context, offering recommendations based on spoken prompts rather than fixed keywords.

Under the arrangement, a ChatGPT-branded voice assistant will be embedded within JioHotstar. Users will be able to speak requests in different languages and receive context-aware suggestions across genres and formats. The system is intended to respond not only to explicit instructions but also to implied preferences, broadening the scope of content discovery.

Uday Shankar, Vice Chairman of JioStar, said artificial intelligence represents a structural shift for the media and entertainment industry, affecting areas ranging from production to distribution and monetisation. He added that integrating AI into the platform’s core experience would allow viewers to discover and curate content using voice-based interaction.

Fidji Simo, Chief Executive of Applications at OpenAI, said the partnership seeks to make entertainment more interactive. She noted that AI can enable viewers to move between watching content and asking contextual questions, particularly during live events such as sports broadcasts.

The voice assistant is designed to interpret detailed or situational prompts. For example, users might request suggestions suitable for family viewing during a visit from relatives, or ask for films centred on specific themes. In live sports, viewers will be able to use conversational queries to locate key moments, check scores, review player highlights or explore related information in real time.

The rollout will begin with selected live and on-demand experiences and will expand in phases.

The collaboration also extends beyond the streaming application itself. JioHotstar content recommendations will appear within ChatGPT for users making entertainment-related queries, accompanied by relevant streaming links. This creates a two-way integration between the platform and OpenAI’s conversational interface.

As competition intensifies in India’s streaming market, platforms are increasingly focusing on personalisation and real-time responsiveness. By embedding AI-driven voice interaction and multilingual capabilities, JioHotstar aims to provide a more intuitive method of discovery while encouraging users to engage more actively with content.