iWorld
Amazon’s Michael Paul joins MLB’s video streaming service BAMTech
MUMBAI: Amazon’s digital media executive Michael Paull has been hired to lead the $3 billion video-streaming company BAMTech. The announcement was made by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, which sold one-third of BAMTech to Walt Disney in August. Disney bought a 33 per cent stake in BAMTech for $1 billion Baseball still owns a majority of BAMTech. Disney in three years will have the option to take a controlling stake.
Paull is due to take up his new role next month and is expected to oversee Disney-owned sports network ESPN’s upcoming subscription streaming service. He will relocate from Seattle to New York and report directly to BAMTech’s board of directors. He replaces Bob Bowman, who will remain MLB’s president of business and media. Bowman will also serve on the seven-member BAMTech board of directors, along with Rob Manfred, ESPN President John Skipper, Disney executive Kevin Mayer and commissioner of the National Hockey League Gary Bettman, which is also an investor in the company.
“Michael will deliver on the incredible potential and promise this venture has for building powerful viewing experiences for its clients and their customers,” Manfred said in a statement.
For the last three years, Paull has been vice president of digital video for Amazon Inc. He oversaw the introduction of Prime Video and significantly increased the production of original series and films. Prior to joining Amazon, Paull also held leadership positions at Sony Pictures, Sony Music, Fox Entertainment and Time Warner.
BAMTech started out as the interactive media and internet company of Major League Baseball and is now jointly owned by Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM), The Walt Disney Company and the National Hockey League (NHL). It claims to have 7.5 million global paid subscribers through OTT products for sports, news and entertainment partners including HBO Now, the NHL, MLB, the PGA Tour, WWE Network, Riot Games/League of Legends, and Ice Network.
Through a partnership with Discovery, BAMTech also jointly formed BAMTech Europe to move into this market and provide technology services to a broad set of clients across the continent, including Eurosport’s digital products.
iWorld
JioStar revenue hits Rs 9,784 crore as cricket fuels 22 per cent growth
A surge in digital viewership and sports dominance fuels a blockbuster quarter for the media giant
MUMBAI: JioStar is batting on a flat pitch. The media titan’s fourth-quarter results for the financial year 2026 reveal a business scaling new heights, propelled by an unprecedented appetite for premium sports and digital-first storytelling.
Gross revenue for the quarter soared by 22.15 per cent to Rs 9,784 crore, up from Rs 8,010 crore in the third quarter. Operationally, the momentum was equally strong; revenue from operations climbed 21 per cent to Rs 8,372 crore. These figures underscore the firm’s successful integration following the Reliance and Disney merger, creating a dominant force in the Indian market.
The annual performance has been nothing short of a spectacle. Full-year gross revenue reached a massive Rs 36,248 crore, while annual profit after tax hit Rs 3,210 crore. This rapid expansion reflects JioStar’s ability to capture and monetise the massive growth in India’s media consumption.
Cricket proved to be the ultimate growth engine. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and TATA IPL 2026 delivered “record-breaking viewership” across both television and digital screens. The World Cup final alone drew a global peak concurrency of 72.5 million on JioHotstar, cementing its status as the nation’s premier streaming destination. On television, JioStar maintained a commanding 34.2 per cent viewership share, reaching a staggering 810 million viewers nationwide.
The digital numbers were just as impressive. JioHotstar averaged 500 million monthly active users, driven by consistent subscriber growth and innovative AI-led content discovery tools. These advancements are ensuring that JioStar remains at the cutting edge of the global “Race for Attention.”
With a firm grip on the country’s most valuable sporting rights and a rapidly growing digital footprint, JioStar is perfectly positioned for the future. It has built the ultimate content powerhouse—one that is ready to dominate the Indian living room for years to come.
