Just when we started to think that JioHotstar couldn’t land in any more trouble, another dilemma has emerged, this time in the form of Sunil Raina, Managing Director of Lava International. This one’s more of an ethical issue.
Raina has publicly criticized Mukesh Ambani’s JioHotstar for allegedly copying Lava’s tagline, #ProudlyIndian. He brought the matter to light via one of his recent LinkedIn posts, captioned:
“We created the hashtag #ProudlyIndian nearly five years ago and had it registered. Recently, I noticed JioHotstar using the same tagline. I’m surprised that a company of their size and reputation would lack originality in this way.”
Adding fuel to the fire was Jitendra Kushwaha, former Lava executive and current head of marketing at Global India. He supported Raina’s statements and reminded JioHotstar about “respecting IP rights” and “fair and ethical branding.”
As expected, this scenario has sparked a massive debate online about JioHotstar’s overall ethics as a business entity. Not only does this situation raise concerns about the brand’s commitment to originality, but also about how it respects intellectual property.
JioHotstar has yet to respond to these allegations.
Ever since the platform emerged from the high-profile merger of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar in February this year, the list of troubles and controversies surrounding it seems to be growing by the day.
The platform has already faced massive backlash from the Indian cricket audience, who blasted it for poor video quality, irregular audio issues, childish scorecard graphics, and subpar commentary during the recently concluded India vs. England test series.
These same issues were also raised by users during the streaming of IPL 2025. Moreover, streaming Wimbledon this year turned out to be quite a misadventure for the platform, as they were bombarded with complaints related to focusing only on important matches, switching away from ongoing games, poor video and audio quality, and more.
Additionally, JioHotstar’s current ad tiers are facing the wrath of users, largely due to the high frequency of ad slots, each containing 2–3 ads that generally last around 15–20 seconds.
And now, this entire new controversy with Lava. It’s safe to say that JioHotstar is charting troubled waters these days, and doing so with seemingly no fear, given its hold over a large majority of Indian OTT subscribers.
This controversy with Lava, while centred on a simple tagline, reflects a deeper issue. It forces a critical examination of how dominant market players, armed with immense resources and reach, navigate the fine line between competitive strategy and ethical conduct.
JioHotstar’s decision to use a phrase so closely associated with a smaller, homegrown competitor, whether legally permissible or not, sends a clear message about its regard for brand originality and intellectual property.
Ultimately, this latest episode adds yet another layer to JioHotstar’s mounting list of public relations challenges. As the company continues to strengthen its market leadership, it finds itself at a crossroads. The platform must decide whether it will continue to operate with an apparent disregard for the concerns of its users and fellow businesses, or whether it will address these issues head-on to build a more trustworthy and respected brand. Stay tuned for more updates.