JioHotstar hits ₹31,000cr revenue on sports, ads boom
What's the story
Reliance Industries' media business, JioHotstar, has witnessed a massive surge in its financial performance for the fiscal year 2025-26. The platform posted an operating revenue of ₹31,048 crore and a profit before tax (PBT) of ₹3,228 crore. This growth is mainly attributed to strong sports viewership and rising subscriptions. In March 2026 alone, JioHotstar had about 550 million monthly active users (MAUs), making it one of the largest streaming platforms globally by user base.
Quarterly performance
Strong sports viewership drives growth in Q4
In the fourth quarter of FY26, JioHotstar posted a revenue of ₹8,372 crore and a PBT of ₹421 crore. This marked a quarter-on-quarter growth of 21.4%. The platform's success can be attributed to its strong sports calendar and high engagement across entertainment content. Notably, ICC T20 World Cup 2026 recorded peak concurrency of 72.5 million users on JioHotstar while IPL 2026 delivered record opening weekend with nearly 60% growth in peak concurrency.
Content impact
Entertainment content boosts engagement on platform
Along with sports, entertainment content also played a major role in boosting engagement on JioHotstar. Digital watch time for the entertainment segment grew by 35% year-on-year in Q4, thanks to a steady stream of shows, movies, and regional content. The platform has also crossed over one billion downloads and is available across 99% of connected TV devices.
Advertising strategy
Digital advertising and new features drive growth
Digital advertising has emerged as a key growth driver for JioHotstar, backed by rising connected TV (CTV) adoption and improved ad targeting. The platform has also expanded its advertiser base. However, traditional TV advertising continues to face challenges due to muted spending from FMCG companies. Reliance has also launched new features like 'Tadka,' a micro-content hub with over 100 shows, conversational content discovery in partnership with OpenAI, and in-app commerce integration with Swiggy to boost engagement on the platform.