Airtel and Jio Now Offer Free JioHotstar with Select Plans—Who’s Offering the Better Deal?

Airtel has introduced free JioHotstar subscriptions on some of its prepaid plans, marking a shift from its previous Disney+ Hotstar partnership. This change comes after JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar merged, forming a single streaming service under the JioHotstar brand. As a result, Airtel had to update its bundled offerings to keep up with the evolving content landscape.

If you're wondering how this affects Airtel's plans and how they compare to Jio's, here's a breakdown of what's included.

Airtel Plans with Free JioHotstar Subscription

Airtel now offers JioHotstar subscriptions with three prepaid plans, giving users access to movies, shows, and live sports along with their regular mobile benefits.

1. Rs. 3,999 Plan - One Year of JioHotstar

• Validity: 365 days

• Streaming: 12-month JioHotstar Mobile subscription

• Data: 2.5GB/day of 4G data, unlimited 5G data

• Calls & SMS: Unlimited voice calls, 100 SMS/day

• Extras: Airtel Xstream Play, Apollo 24|7 access, free Hello Tunes

2. Rs. 1,029 Plan - Three Months of JioHotstar

• Validity: 84 days

• Streaming: 3-month JioHotstar Mobile subscription

• Data: 2GB/day of 4G data, unlimited 5G data

• Calls & SMS: Unlimited voice calls, 100 SMS/day

• Extras: Airtel Xstream Play, RewardsMini subscription, Apollo 24|7, free Hello Tunes

3. Rs. 398 Plan - One Month of JioHotstar

• Validity: 28 days

• Streaming: 1-month JioHotstar Mobile subscription

• Data: 2GB/day of 4G data, unlimited 5G data

• Calls & SMS: Unlimited voice calls

• Extras: Free Hello Tunes

How Airtel's Plans Compare to Jio's

Jio, being the company behind JioHotstar, also offers free subscriptions with its own prepaid and broadband plans. Here's how they stack up:

Jio Prepaid Plan with JioHotstar

• Rs. 949 Plan - 2GB/day of 4G data, unlimited 5G data, unlimited voice calls, 100 SMS/day, and an 84-day JioHotstar subscription.

Jio Fiber Plans with JioHotstar

• Rs. 999 Plan - 150 Mbps speed, free JioHotstar subscription

• Rs. 1,499 Plan - 300 Mbps speed, free JioHotstar subscription

• Rs. 2,499 Plan - 500 Mbps speed, free JioHotstar subscription

• Rs. 3,999 & Rs. 8,499 Plans - 1 Gbps speed, free JioHotstar subscription

Jio AirFiber Plans with JioHotstar

• Rs. 599 Plan - 1000GB data at 30 Mbps, 800+ TV channels, and free voice calls

• Rs. 899 & Rs. 1,199 Plans - Faster speeds up to 100 Mbps, similar benefits

Why the Shift to JioHotstar?

This change is a result of Disney+ Hotstar merging with JioCinema to create JioHotstar. Since Airtel previously bundled Disney+ Hotstar subscriptions, it had to adjust its offerings to continue providing streaming benefits to customers.

For users, this means they still get access to premium content-including live sports, movies, and exclusive shows-regardless of whether they're with Airtel or Jio.