iWorld
Disney Star India in shortlist for SportsPro OTT awards
MUMBAI: There’s good news for Disney Star India. Its tech innovations have got a pat on the back from the leading streaming awards for – the SportsPro OTT awards.
The company’s streaming service has been shortlisted in the categories of innovation and platform of the year and for its marketing strategy while Star Sports has found a mention among the toppers in the use of artificial intelligence.
Disney+Hotstar worked with the ICC to introduce Max View during the World Cup – which allows users to switch to a vertical view, maximizing the screen space for a more immersive experience. This innovation has been shortlisted in the innovation of the year category.
The streamer recorded peak viewership numbers of 5.9 crore viewers during the World Cup final between India and Australia, which required deft engineering excellence. The SportsPro OTT Awards have recognised this effort by shortlisting Disney+Hotstar in the platform of the year category (from a network) for managing this humungous traffic using cutting edge technologies.
Its marketing campaign for the World Cup 2023 which resulted in it never seen before cumulative viewers through its messaging “One Platform, One Nation: Online India Comes Together for Cricket World Cup 2023” has been placed in the shortlist of the marketing category.
Finally, Star Sports use of artificial intelligence to translate international cricketers commentary into Indian regional languages has got a mention in the best use of AI category.
The awards, which were created by leading UK-based publication SportsProMedia, have a jury consisting of executives from some of the top sports firms including Formula 1, IMG Sports, SailGP, Dazn, among many others.
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.
