iWorld
Haptik appoints Praful Krishna as chief product officer
Mumbai: Jio Haptik Technologies, a conversational AI company and subsidiary of Reliance Jio Platforms has appointed Praful Krishna as its chief product officer (CPO).
In his new role at Haptik, Krishna will drive the transition of businesses from web to the conversation economy, resulting in significantly improved customer experience. “Krishna will spearhead Haptik’s strategic vision and be the driving force behind building the brand’s suite of products. He will also oversee product requirements, design, messaging, pricing, reliability, and customer engagement,” said the statement.
“In addition to being an ex-entrepreneur, Praful has a proven record of success in both startups and large companies and his arrival marks a critical moment in Haptik’s growth journey,” said Haptik CEO and co-founder Aakrit Vaish. “I am confident that under his leadership, the product will be making even further strides in solving customers’ biggest pain points across the conversational commerce journey; and accelerate our journey towards becoming a global leader in the conversational AI economy.”
Krishna comes with 20+ years of cross-functional experience in developing, digitising, marketing, and investing in AI and NLP-driven products at startups and Fortune 500s. He was previously founder & CEO at Coseer, a company helping data science teams in enterprises with intelligent process automation tools. Before entering the world of AI and products, he was at a hedge fund and a consultant with McKinsey & Company.
“I truly believe Haptik is poised to be a global leader in enabling conversational commerce for brands by meeting the user wherever they are – from metaverses to phone lines – and helping them throughout their journey – from acquisition to advocacy. It has already seen incredible momentum: not everyone can boast 500+ million users served with billions of interactions,” remarked Krishna.
Krishna is an alumnus of IIT Bombay and Harvard Business School. Currently, he lives in San Francisco.
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.
