At the South Unbound event, JioHotstar announced an investment of Rs 4,000 crore over the next five years, in South India’s creative economy. The evening was graced by the chief minister Thiru Udhayanidhi Stalin, member of parliament Padma Bhushan Thiru Kamal Haasan, Tamil development, information and publicity minister Thiru M.P. Saminathan, and icons from across the South film and television industries. The presence of JioStar SVOD and chief marketing officer Sushant Sreeram, and JioStar entertainment cluster (south) head Krishnan Kutty, marked the occasion.
JioHotstar has announced the signing of a Letter of Intent with the government of Tamil Nadu to establish a partnership aimed at developing the state’s creative and production ecosystem. As part of this initiative, JioHotstar will support Tamil Nadu’s creative economy by introducing regional formats and providing opportunities for stories and storytellers to reach wider audiences. In addition, JioHotstar will launch creator-focused programmes including writing labs, mentorship schemes and skill-building workshops designed to nurture emerging filmmakers, writers, editors and digital storytellers.
As a symbolic beginning to this next chapter, deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin unveiled JioHotstar’s South lineup of 25 new titles, highlighting the future of regional entertainment with stories rooted in the South.
Stalin said, “Chennai has a long tradition of art and culture, and Tamil cinema has played a historic role in driving social change. Content remains central, and OTT is expanding rather than replacing cinema. Today, filmmakers from across Tamil Nadu can reach audiences worldwide. This partnership with JioHotstar will generate 1,000 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs, strengthening both the creative economy and the wider economy.”
Sreeram shared, “JioHotstar began as a vision to build the entertainment future of tomorrow, rooted in the storytelling heritage of our country and supported by technology. In less than a year we have made progress across live sport and entertainment. The storytelling tradition of South India and its influence on Indian cinema motivates us to continue supporting authentic narratives while offering greater variety, accessibility and viewing experiences for audiences.”
Kutty added, “The South has long been a centre of creativity, and it is important to support a region that continues to shape Indian storytelling. In the past ten months, more than 500 creators, directors and showrunners have joined us, each bringing voices that deserve to be heard across India and beyond. Our focus is on investing in talent, infrastructure and new formats, helping creators to take their stories further.”
Haasan mentioned, “Stories today are screen-agnostic; they travel with the audience and belong to people rather than platforms. This shift allows Tamil creators, producers and storytellers to reach audiences across India on every screen. Regionalism is becoming national, and ethnic is becoming international. Stories from places such as Madurai, Malappuram, Mandya or Machilipatnam are no longer confined to regional cinema but are recognised as national cultural events.”
The lineup includes Kerala Crime Files S3, Save The Tigers S3, Heartbeat S3 and Good Wife S2 reaffirming the growing demand for long-running storytelling. Alongside these popular IPs, JioHotstar has announced a slate of new originals and long-format shows such as Cousins And Kalyanams, Moodu Lantharlu, LBW – Love Beyond Wicket, Resort, Secret Stories: Roslin, Lingam, and Vikram On Duty.
Expanding its premium originals catalogue, JioHotstar also introduces the regional adaptation of the Hindi series Aarya titled Vishakha, as well as new productions like Kaattaan starring Vijay Sethupathi and Pharma featuring Nivin Pauly. The offering is further strengthened by new movies such as Lucky The Superstar and Kenatha Kaanom.
In a landmark first, Roadies will debut in Telugu, introducing one of India’s well-known adventure formats to the South.
Bringing together leading storytellers from the South, JioHotstar’s content library features talent across the region. It includes superstars such as Kamal Haasan, Mohanlal, Nagarjuna, Dhanush, Vijay Sethupathi and Sivakarthikeyan; actors including Nivin Pauly, Aishwarya Rajesh, Kajal Aggarwal, Meena, Priyamani, Nayanthara, Samantha, Nithya Menen, Nandamuri Balakrishna, Aju Varghese, Lal and Neena Gupta; as well as emerging artists such as Deepa Balu, Anumol, Charukesh, Kavin, Arjun Radhakrishnan, Guru Lakshman and Smeha Manimegalai. The line-up also spans directors including Jeethu Joseph and Ahammed Khabeer, along with production houses such as Banijay Group, Vikatan, DQ Productions, Aashirvad Cinemas, ARKA Media and Naavi Productions, many of whom were present at the event.
