From Voice Search to Real-Time Dubbing: How JioHotstar Is Using AI to Reinvent Streaming
As OTT platforms race to personalise entertainment, JioHotstar is betting big on AI — not just to shape what we watch, but how we discover, hear, and experience it. Speaking at Reliance Industries’ 48th Annual General Meeting on Friday, Reliance Jio Infocomm Chairman Akash Ambani unveiled a suite of AI-driven upgrades that aim to position JioHotstar as a deeply localised, intelligent streaming service for “a billion screens across mobile, TV, and connected devices.”
With more than 600 million users and 300 million paying subscribers, JioHotstar is already the world’s second-largest streaming platform. Now, it’s adding four new features designed to make viewing more intuitive, immersive, and inclusive.
Riya: The Voice Assistant That Understands You
What it does: Riya lets users find content by simply speaking, eliminating the need to type, scroll, or search endlessly.
How it works: Using natural language processing and semantic search, Riya interprets intent and context — not just keywords. You can ask, “Show me Kohli’s last century,” or “Play the episode with the train scene,” and it knows exactly what you mean.
“Riya is built for the way you think and speak,” Ambani said. “Just say what you want, and Riya will curate it for you.”
Voice Print: Stars Who Speak Your Language
What it does: Voice Print uses AI to clone actors’ voices and sync them in real time, so you can watch your favourite stars in your preferred language — without losing their authentic tone or expressions.
How it works: The system generates synthetic speech in any Indian language using an actor’s original voice profile, while AI-powered lip-syncing aligns mouth movements to match the new audio. Unlike traditional dubbing, the result feels seamless and authentic.
“With AI voice cloning and lip-sync technology, your favourite stars won’t just be dubbed — they’ll speak your language, in their own voice,” Ambani said.
JioLenZ: Personalised Views, Adaptive Screens
What it does: JioLenZ gives users one-click control over how content appears, letting them customise their screen without leaving the video.
How it works: It detects preferences and adapts layouts across devices. Want score overlays during a match, commentary in a pop-out, or a quick language switch? JioLenZ makes it possible in real time.
“With JioLenZ, your content adapts to you — across mobile, tablet, and smart TV,” Ambani said.
MaxView 3.0: Cricket Reimagined for Mobile
What it does: MaxView 3.0 delivers a mobile-first cricket experience designed around the way fans naturally hold their phones.
How it works: Live scorecards, alternate camera angles, and instant highlights are swipeable and integrated into the video window. Preloaded feeds ensure instant responsiveness, so you never miss a moment.
“This cricket experience is built for the natural way you watch on mobile,” Ambani noted. “It’s more immersive, more intuitive, and closer to the action than ever.”
A Billion Screens, One Personalised Experience
Together, these upgrades signal more than just technological progress. They represent a new philosophy in streaming: making discovery effortless, localisation seamless, and interaction more natural.
From finding content faster to hearing stars in your mother tongue, toggling dynamic layers, or watching a wicket fall from five angles — JioHotstar’s AI stack is reimagining the very interface between viewer and video.
