JioHotstar has been talking big about regional inclusivity, but its actions tell a different story.
The ongoing India vs West Indies Test series is available in multiple languages, except Marathi. For a state that lives and breathes cricket, this is more than a technical gap; it’s a cultural snub.
Marathi is not a niche language.
It represents millions of cricket fans who expect the same engagement that Hindi, Tamil, or Telugu audiences receive. By skipping Marathi commentary, JioHotstar is alienating a massive, passionate fanbase right in its own backyard.
This is not the first time regional audiences have been ignored, but it’s especially glaring when competitors are expanding local-language options aggressively.
In fact, Disney+ Hotstar in its earlier avatar had experimented with Marathi feeds during marquee tournaments, proving that the demand exists. So why the regression now? Cost-cutting, complacency, or just plain oversight?
Cricket is more than a broadcast, it’s a shared experience. When JioHotstar sidelines a language as prominent as Marathi, it undercuts its own promise of being a platform “for every Indian fan.”
For a service that wants to dominate the OTT sports space, such lapses raise a serious question: how committed is JioHotstar to respecting the diversity it claims to celebrate?