JioHotstar’s current streaming of the ongoing Wimbledon 2025 tennis tournament has been facing the wrath of Indian OTT viewers. Many of the platform’s users have criticised it for focusing on and streaming only important matches, or matches featuring globally prominent players such as Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and others. Now, another noticeable issue has arisen.
A large section of users has raised concerns about JioHotstar focusing more on streaming men’s matches from the Wimbledon 2025 Grand Slam and less on women’s matches.
Ardent Indian tennis fans have been calling for an increase in the number of streams on JioHotstar to ensure proper and seamless coverage of the prestigious tournament since its commencement. However, it seems the platform has yet to resolve this issue.
Moreover, JioHotstar has received criticism for abruptly switching to other ongoing matches during live broadcasts, making the viewing experience even more frustrating and insufferable.
Now, ignoring women’s Wimbledon matches is a serious issue. Yes, tennis is not as popular as cricket in India, but there’s no denying that the country has a considerable number of tennis fans. And this section of the audience cannot be ignored.
In an era where gender equality in sports is increasingly emphasised, disproportionately focusing on men’s matches while neglecting women’s is not only discriminatory but also shortsighted. Women’s tennis has a significant global following, including in India, with many globally prominent players like Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, and others.
Even if tennis is considered a “niche” sport compared to cricket, OTT platforms have the unique ability to cater to such niches more effectively than traditional linear TV. But it looks like JioHotstar doesn’t seem to care about that.
JioHotstar’s strategy is questionable because it prioritises a narrow, possibly commercially driven selection of matches over the comprehensive, user-centric experience that OTT viewers expect, especially for live sports. The platform fails to adequately serve a dedicated segment of its audience and, more critically, contributes to gender disparity in sports coverage, which is a problematic stance in today’s media landscape.
Let’s see if JioHotstar addresses this issue or not. Stay tuned for more updates.