iWorld
Hotstar & CBS agree to bring Showtime content & brand to India
MUMBAI: Hotstar, India’s largest premium streaming platform, and CBS Corporation today announced an SVOD content licensing and trademark agreement for SHOWTIME in India. The agreement will introduce the SHOWTIME brand to India for the first time and bring a roster of Emmy® and Golden Globe® winning programming from SHOWTIME to the territory.
The agreement will provide Hotstar Premium subscribers in India access to future SHOWTIME series such as the new comedy SMILF, the new limited series, ESCAPE AT DANNEMORA, starring Oscar® winners Benicio Del Toro and Patricia Arquette and Golden Globe nominee Paul Dano, and the new TWIN PEAKS. Also available to Hotstar Premium subscribers are hundreds of hours of critically-acclaimed series including THE AFFAIR, BILLIONS, RAY DONOVAN and the recently premiered, I’M DYING UP HERE.
Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan said, “Over the last year, we have established Hotstar Premium as the most exciting destination for American TV shows and movies in India on demand. We have been continuously raising the bar on what is already the best streaming service for an Indian audience interested in international stories. The deal with CBS is in line with our strategy of bringing the best of new shows and movies from around the world to our Premium subscribers. Today, SHOWTIME joins an exciting slate on Hotstar. It is clear that there is no equivalent service like this in India, or, frankly, anywhere in the world. We are clear that we are building Hotstar Premium as the most compelling subscription service that will showcase the best story tellers from around the world.”
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Hotstar to bring critically-acclaimed programming from SHOWTIME to Indian audiences,” said CBS Studios International president and CEO Armando Nuñez. “Thanks to this agreement and other partnerships with top platforms around the world, the footprint of the SHOWTIME brand and programming continues to expand in the global marketplace.”
For CBS Corporation, similar agreements for SHOWTIME have been announced with FOX Networks Group in Asia, Canal+ Group in France, along with Sky UK, Germany and Italy, Bell Canada, Stan Australia, Movistar Spain and other output partners around the world.
Setting its sights on shaping the connected TV experience in India, Hotstar appropriated the top spot on iTunes as Apple TV’s App of the Year for India in 2016. The recognition came on the back of a breakthrough year in which Hotstar continued to lead and disrupt the Indian market place. The service has more than 250 million downloads to date, and was the first local service to cross 100 million downloads on the Google Play Store. Globally, only one other video streaming app has hit the same milestone.
Hotstar Premium now becomes the one of the few services in the world with exclusive content partnerships with the best global studios like Disney, Fox, HBO, and, now, SHOWTIME.
iWorld
Prime Video bets big on India with global originals, films and franchise expansion
Execs highlight scale, travelability and new IP bets as India anchors global strategy
MUMBAI: At Prime Video Presents 2026, the message was clear and confident. India is not just part of the plan, it is central to it.
In a lively fireside chat hosted by filmmaker Karan Johar, Kelly Day, vice president of prime video and amazon mgm studios international, Nicole Clemens, vice president of international originals, and Gaurav Gandhi, vice president for Apac and Anz, laid out an ambitious roadmap. Think bigger stories, wider reach and a sharper focus on building franchises that travel.
Kelly Day, a regular visitor to India, set the tone early. Calling the country “one of the most important markets globally”, she pointed to the sheer scale and diversity of audiences as a driving force behind Prime Video’s growth. Indian Originals, she said, are not just local hits but global engines powering subscriptions and engagement.
That global appeal is already visible. According to Clemens, around 25 percent of viewership for Indian content now comes from outside the country. Shows rooted deeply in local culture are finding fans worldwide, proving that specificity, when paired with universal themes, travels well. From gritty dramas to sharp thrillers, Indian storytelling is increasingly crossing borders with ease.
Clemens, who joined recently to lead international originals, was particularly upbeat about India’s creative range. She highlighted a growing slate of over 100 shows in development and production, with more than 60 percent returning for multiple seasons. For her, the formula is simple. Authentic stories, told well, resonate everywhere.
Adding to the buzz, she teased new and returning titles, alongside a fresh superhero universe, the Kalyug Warriors. It signals a push into new genres while doubling down on familiar fan favourites.
If content is king, distribution is the clever courtier. Day outlined Prime Video’s layered business model in India, which blends subscription, rentals, add on channels and ad supported viewing through Amazon MX Player. The idea is straightforward. Give viewers choice, whether they want premium, free or pay per view.
India, she noted, has also become a testing ground for innovation. Tiered pricing, mobile only plans and language diversity have all been sharpened here before being exported to other markets. In many ways, the India playbook is now influencing global strategy.
For Gaurav Gandhi, the next chapter is about scale with intent. He outlined four priorities. Making Prime Video more accessible, pushing Indian content globally, building stronger franchises and supercharging the films business.
On films, the platform is moving beyond licensing into co productions and now theatrical releases in partnership with amazon mgm studios. These films will eventually stream on Prime Video, creating a full circle from cinema halls to living rooms across 240 countries.
Franchise building remains another key pillar. With hits like The Family Man, Mirzapur and Panchayat already enjoying multi season success, the focus is now on creating the next wave of enduring IP. Newer titles are already lining up for second seasons, signalling a steady pipeline.
What stood out through the conversation was a shared belief. Streaming in India is still in its early innings, and the runway is long. With a mix of local flavour and global ambition, Prime Video is betting that stories from India will not just stay at home, but travel far and wide.
Or as the executives seemed to suggest, the world is watching and India has plenty more to show.
