JioStar sees AI, commerce and interactivity shaping entertainment's future

JioStar is positioning itself as a technology-led entertainment company, with artificial intelligence, personalisation, commerce integration and interactive experiences expected to play an increasingly important role in content consumption, Kevin Vaz, CEO – Entertainment, JioStar, said during a fireside chat.

Vaz said storytelling would remain central to the company's strategy, but technology would increasingly determine how content is distributed, discovered and experienced by audiences.

"For us, we see JioStar as a technology company that also delivers content. Storytelling will always be at the core of everything that we do. It drives engagement, it drives fandom, it drives cultural impact," he said.


According to Vaz, much of the innovation at JioStar over the past year has come from advances in technology, particularly in areas such as artificial intelligence, content discovery and short-form video. He cited the company's partnership with OpenAI as an example of its technology-focused approach.

Vaz also argued that the media industry's understanding of scale is evolving beyond audience reach and consumption metrics.

"The definition of scale has changed. Scale is not about how many people you reach. Scale is the impact you have on people's lives after you reach them," he said.

He added that such scale brings with it a responsibility to not only entertain, but also inform, inspire and reflect the realities of society.

The executive identified commerce-enabled entertainment as another emerging opportunity for the industry. He pointed to collaborations with Swiggy Instamart and fashion brand NewMe that enabled viewers to order food during live sports broadcasts and purchase outfits featured on television programmes while engaging with the content.

Vaz said consumer engagement is likely to become increasingly participative, with audiences expected to interact with communities, vote, game and shop while consuming content rather than simply watching it passively.

On changing viewing habits, he rejected the notion that television and digital platforms are competing mediums, arguing that consumers increasingly move seamlessly between screens.

"India is an AND market, and that remains true today. The biggest problem is that as an industry, we draw boundaries between TV and digital, small screen and big screen. A consumer doesn't look at it that way. From a consumer's point of view, he simply comes to get entertained," he said.

Vaz noted that connected television continues to gain traction in India, with JioHotstar reaching more than 85 million connected TV homes. Consumers, he said, increasingly seek the immersive experience of large screens alongside the personalisation offered by digital platforms.

He also highlighted the early performance of Tadka, JioHotstar's micro-drama offering, saying it had attracted nearly 100 million consumers within weeks of launch. The service was introduced within the main JioHotstar platform rather than through a standalone app, reflecting the company's focus on convenience and unified content experiences.