The Indian OTT market has witnessed a significant ownership shift. On January 14, 2026, Lionsgate announced that it has sold its regional streaming service, Lionsgate Play, to Rohit Jain, the executive who built the platform from scratch over the last eight years. The deal, estimated at up to $30 million (approx. ₹250 crore), transitions the platform into a founder-led, independent entity.
Details of the Transaction
The sale is structured as a strategic management buyout. While Jain takes full ownership of the streaming operations in South Asia and Southeast Asia, the relationship with the parent studio remains intact through a licensing model.
- Deal Value: Estimated between $20 million and $30 million, structured as an upfront payment with the remaining balance in tranches.
- Licensing Agreement: Under a multi-year deal, Lionsgate will license the Lionsgate Play brand name and its massive library of 20,000+ film and TV titles to the now-independent platform.
- Scope of Sale: The deal only covers the streaming (OTT) business. Lionsgate will continue to own and operate its theatrical film distribution and television production businesses in India and Southeast Asia separately.
Why the Strategic Pivot?
For Lionsgate, the move aligns with a broader global strategy to exit direct-to-consumer streaming in non-core international markets and focus on content creation and IP licensing.
| Metric | Lionsgate Play India (at time of sale) |
| Paid Subscribers | ~5 Million |
| Total Investment | ~$100 Million since launch |
| Presence | India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and more |
| Revenue Model | Primarily B2B2C (bundled with Jio, Airtel, and Amazon) |
The Future of Lionsgate Play under Rohit Jain
Rohit Jain, who will exit his role as President of Lionsgate Play Asia to run the company independently, aims to transform the service into a “future-ready” regional powerhouse.
- Beyond Hollywood: While the platform is currently the go-to destination for premium Hollywood content (John Wick, The Hunger Games), Jain plans to expand into more regional Indian content, including Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada titles.
- Aggregation Strategy: Lionsgate Play will likely double down on its successful “aggregator” model, maintaining its presence within bundles like JioHotstar, Airtel Xstream, and Tata Play Binge.
- Agility: As an independent founder-led company, the platform can now make faster decisions on local content acquisitions and partnerships without the bureaucratic hurdles of a global studio structure.
