iWorld
Facebook India’s Umang Bedi quits, Sandeep Bhushan to be interim MD
MUMBAI: Facebook India and South Asia MD Umang Bedi has put in his papers. Facebook has confirmed the development.
For a smoother transition, Facebook confirmed that Bedi, who had joined in July last year, will be staying on for three months. Although no replacement has been announced, Sandeep Bhushan would be the interim MD.
A Facebook spokesperson said, “We confirm that Umang Bedi will be leaving at the end of this year. He’s built a really strong team and business during his time with us, and we wish him all the best.”
Bedi is the recipient of the prestigious ‘40 Under Forty: India’s Hottest Business Leaders Award 2014’ given away by The Economic Times and Spencer Stuart in 2014.
Bedi, an engineering graduate from University of Pun and an alumnus of Harvard Business School, had come to Facebook from Adobe India, where he was the managing director south Asia, replacing Kirthiga Reddy — who had served for over five years and returned to Facebook headquarters in the US.
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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.
