Indian media giant JioStar, backed by Reliance Industries, increased its revenue from operations to INR 68.1 billion ($710 million) in the July-September quarter, up 10.1% year on year, despite a weak advertising market. Profit after tax fell 13.2% to INR 11.5 billion ($120 million).
Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly hosted the first ever “Bigg Boss Bangla” launched on streaming service JioHotstar this quarter. The reality series was broadcast in six languages, and all editions together attracted more than 90 million viewers in its first three weeks. This makes Bigg Boss the biggest entertainment feature on the platform.
Reliance Industries credits JioStar’s revenue growth to subscriptions and digital entertainment advertising. Gross revenue increased 9.8% to INR 79.4 billion ($829 million).
Margins came under pressure. EBITDA from operations decreased by 10.5% to INR 13.7 billion ($143 million) and margin fell to 22.1% from 28.1% in the previous year. The 36.6% decline in investment income reduced total EBITDA by 13.6% to INR 15 billion ($157 million). This quarter was also well below the April-June period, when JioStar earned INR 109.5 billion ($1.1 billion) in revenue from operations.
JioHotstar averaged 440 million monthly active users in the quarter, up 10% from the previous year. In September, the platform relaunched in the UK, Canada and Singapore under the name JioHotstar. Active subscribers in these three regions have increased by around 30% since then, Reliance said.
The company also introduced the “Pay Kisi Aur Se” (“Ask Payment from Others”) feature, which allows users to send a subscription payment request to a friend or relative. Reliance said this feature increased payment initiations by 10%. Mobile plan subscribers will now be entitled to watch on connected TVs for up to two hours per month. The average JioHotstar viewer on a connected TV watches three times more than a viewer on a phone.
Watch time for entertainment content increased by more than 15%, with Indian and regional markets performing well. Reliance said titles like “India Ke Top 1%”, “Khatron Ke Khiladi”, “Hustle” Season 5 and “Bhojpuri Bawaal” have strengthened JioStar’s position as the country’s top entertainment network.
“Resort” became the most-watched title in the streamer’s history, and Reliance cited it as proof that its bets on long-running dramas were paying off. Rajkumar Hirani’s “Pritam & Pedro” broke the platform’s record for a short-run series. “Heart Beat” Season 3 and new series “Court” opened strongly, and Indian drama “Thukra Ke Mera Pyaar” Season 2 improved in its first season. Tadka has also grown its catalog, adding nearly 100 titles spanning reality, sports and other categories.
In sports, the England-India cricket series gave JioHotstar its largest ever audience for a bilateral series played abroad. According to the company, Wimbledon, the US Open and the opening weeks of the 2026-27 Premier League season have attracted consistent audiences and monetized more effectively. JioStar has also expanded its commercial integrations, which are limited to cricket, to all three events.
The results come two days after Jio Platforms, Reliance’s separate telecom and digital arm, listed on Indian stock exchanges. Reliance said the INR 301.9 billion ($3.15 billion) IPO is the largest ever in India. Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance, said the number is more than 22 subscribers.