JioHotstar is quietly building a serious tech dream team. In a move that signals big ambitions for artificial intelligence and product innovation, the streaming platform has hired senior talent from companies like Google, Flipkart, CRED, Amazon Pay and Razorpay. The goal is simple: make content discovery smarter, ads sharper, and the overall viewer experience smoother as competition heats up in India’s crowded OTT market.
The latest hiring spree, first reported by The Economic Times, shows the company is doubling down on engineering and AI rather than just content spends.
Read More :- Airtel Plans With Free JioHotstar Subscription: Watch T20 World Cup 2026 Live at Home With Daily 2.5GB Data
Big names join leadership roles
At the centre of the new lineup is Shrinivas SG, who joins as SVP – Discovery and Personalisation. He earlier served as Director of Product at Flipkart and is expected to lead efforts around smarter recommendations and tailored content feeds.
Naveen Prashanth has come onboard as SVP – Consumer Marketing. With stints at Google and McKinsey, he brings both tech and strategy experience, likely to shape how JioHotstar attracts and retains users in a highly price-sensitive market.
On the engineering side, Abhishek Sharan takes charge as SVP – Engineering (Viewer Experience). Having worked with Flipkart, Myntra and most recently SuperMoney as Head of Engineering, his focus will be on making the app faster, cleaner and more reliable across devices.
Focus on ads, monetisation and platform tech
Advertising is another area where JioHotstar is investing heavily.
Abhishek Varshney joins as Principal Engineer – AdTech, bringing experience from CRED, Razorpay and Flipkart. His role will likely revolve around building smarter ad systems that deliver better targeting without hurting user experience.
The company has also added Chandramauli Singh from ShareChat and Nishant Paliwal, who has worked with Cleartrip, Flipkart and Intel, to strengthen product and platform engineering.
Together, these hires suggest the company is thinking long-term — not just about streaming shows, but about building the tech backbone that powers everything behind the scenes.
Why AI is now the main battleground
India’s streaming market is growing fast, but so is competition. Platforms are fighting for attention with exclusive content, sports rights, and pricing bundles. But increasingly, the real difference comes down to tech.
Better recommendations mean users find what they want faster. Smarter ads mean higher revenue. Personalisation keeps viewers hooked longer.
That’s where AI comes in.
By investing in discovery algorithms, personalisation engines and ad technology, JioHotstar appears to be betting that technology — not just blockbuster shows — will decide the next phase of growth.
Read More :- Pakistan vs USA T20 World Cup 2026 LIVE Streaming: Match Time, Venue, Where to Watch in India
Earlier leadership additions signal the same trend
This isn’t the first time the platform has brought in heavyweight talent.
David Zakkam joined earlier to lead analytics and data strategy, helping the company take more data-driven decisions. Meanwhile, Stephen Bugaj was appointed SVP – GenAI Content & Technology under the JioStar Group, focusing on generative AI-powered content and platform innovation.
Put together, the message is clear: JioHotstar wants to be as much a tech company as a media company.
The bigger picture
As global players like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar push aggressively in India, local players can’t afford to stand still. Faster apps, sharper recommendations and smarter monetisation are now basic expectations.
JioHotstar’s latest hiring wave shows it’s gearing up for that fight with top-tier talent and deeper AI integration.
If these bets pay off, users may soon notice a platform that feels more intuitive, more personal and just easier to use — even if the heavy lifting happens quietly in the background.
